The wealthy poor man

"Death of 'Caveman' ends an era in Idaho" (In Tim Woodward, 4/23/10, Idaho Statesman.com, Retrieved on 24 April 2010, from here.). You'd probably say it sucks to be him. But there's no slightest indication that the man thought he lived a miserable life. He was quite contented living in his cave. "I got lots of rocks and rubber tires. I have plenty of straw and fruit and vegetables, my dogs and my cats and my guitars. I make wine to cook with. There's nothing I really need" (In Tim Woodward, 4/23/10, Idaho Statesman.com, Retrieved on 24 April 2010, from here.) The man's name was Richard Zimmerman, a.k.a. "Dugout Dick." He's got no boss, and he never complained about his life. "I have everything here," he said (In Tim Woodward, 4/23/10, Idaho Statesman.com, Retrieved on 24 April 2010, from here.). If so, he must have died a rich man.

Philosophies and movements in education

There are a number of well-known educational movements out there. All of them sound confident with their respective claims, which are often inconsistent, if not conflicting, answers to the basic problems of education. What ought to be the purpose of education? What ought we to teach in education? How ought we to teach?

Often, the proponents of the movements would justify their answers to these questions by citing the "truth" or "universality" of their assumptions about reality, the human being, knowledge, good, and, at times, beauty. Such assumptions, it may be noticed, are traceable to one or more philosophies. One, of course, has his/her own philosophy, possibly quite different from the known ones. Often, however, the student's or teacher's philosophy is more or less consistent with or similar to one or more philosophies. Platonic Idealism, Aristotelian/Lockean Realism, Augustinian Idealism, Thomasian Realism, Sartrean Existentialism, and Rousseau's Naturalism are some of such philosophies. (Already, my use of the expression "philosophy" here suggests that it is basically a body of fundamental beliefs or assumptions that one uses to justify answers to questions that are more or less similar to the educational problems that I've just stated.)

Students of education should be cautioned that it's not uncommon for a certain philosophy to be tied to the ideals and visions of a certain educational movement. Experts, however, may not agree as to the connections other authors make between an educational movement and a certain philosophy. This implies that impeaching a certain aspect of a philosophy does not necessarily mean that one has effectively undermined the validity of a certain educational movement.

One way to effectively invalidate an educational movement, and its recommended educational practices, is to show first that there is indeed a lack of robust connection between such movement and its supposed theoretical foundation (a philosophy or a cross between two or more philosophies). The next job is to attack the areas of philosophy/philosophies that serve as the major pillars of an educational movement in question. Another way to invalidate an educational movement is to prove that it has, if any, very little practical value, and it does more harm than good to the stakeholders, especially the students, in education. Of course, a more potent approach is to question both the theoretical and practical value of the movement in question.

The simple lesson that I wish to state here is that it's just unwise to embrace something if there is no good reason to do so.

For: My future students

When should it bother you if you fail to teach?

Many teachers deal with their students as though learning would certainly follow if the teacher has the required knowledge and ability to teach. This, I believe, often gives rise to good teaching attitude and practices. But we should also understand and keep in mind that, in the context of formal schooling, teaching and learning are neither causally nor logically connected. That is to say, learning does not entail the occurrence of teaching. Much less, teaching does entail learning. Now, this is just an introduction, not the issue itself.

Should you allow your conscience then to nag you if you're a failed teacher to your students? Take note that, with this question, I'm not suggesting that you have nothing to worry about if your students didn't learn from you. Just think about the issue without bothering whether we've similar answers to the problem that I've just stated. (TO BE CONTINUED)

Print more, save money: Shift to Century Gothic font

Yes, that's what the experts say. Detailed story here.

But in response to this, experts from the dark side might advise the capitalist to raise the price or reduce the amount of the ink that we use. That's the bad news.

Freedom, determinism, and stupid love

What did you say? Love is a sick joke of nature? Well, probably, sometimes nature has no sense of humor.

A friend thought he'd be ready to move on after breaking up with his pretty, actually very pretty and quite decent, girlfriend two years ago. Shortly after the disengagement, the poor gentleman's words and behaviors would show that he's fighting a nagging thought that he made the wrong decision. He'd later find himself trying to figure a way to get across the deep, perhaps now insurmountable, chasm between him and the source of his deep sense of loss. He googled and found blog traces of his inamorata, and finally, he sent her an email. I have no idea of what he said in the letter. Only God knows what's going to happen next. I'd bet nothing, if I'd be asked to wager.

But I'm still wondering if she might choose to answer him. Or should I ask, will she take the bait? Well, if you tend to sympathize with the girl, you'd probably take the case from the point of view of a Sartrean existentialist: the former girlfriend, because she's a human being, has the freedom to answer the email or not. But if you'd identify yourself with the guy, you'd probably prefer to take the case from the point of view of a Skinnerian behaviorist: that the girl can't make a real choice, and her response (i.e., one of silence or otherwise) to the letter shall be determined, mostly, by the content (the stimulus) of the letter.

Do humans really make a choice or are they all determined, at all times, by forces beyond their control? It seems to me that Skinner's right, but it bothers me to believe with solid certainty that humans are incapable of exercising genuine freedom.

Love relationship could be a very interesting thing. It often defies understanding. I mean, most people don't bother to think seriously or even dream about it. But when it's tension rather than friendship that sustains it, when it assumes the form of a sadistic-masochistic game, it's tempting to be curious about the laws, if any, that governs it. No, it's not the bodily contact that is contemplated here. It's the mind game that keeps those involved affected even when they are already physically separated. The funny thing is that they can't take the stretching too far, but they can't release themselves either from the tension they have created. How far could they go with the tension seems to keep them thrilled and craving for more. Boredom seems to be the unbearable enemy of adventurous love. And if you can't play the game very well or if the other partner ceases to enjoy the game, then the tie, we could expect, is bound to break. This makes me remember some friends and former students who almost got killed, nay, murdered themselves, because of miscalculations and indiscretions. Not a few came to me to keep themselves from dying completely. I'm glad no one died permanently. I'm happy most of them are back finally.

OVCRD includes EQ among UPD online journals

This is the latest development in the Publications Committee of the College. Like I said, we are aiming for the inclusion of the EQ in the list of publications maintained by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI). Another good news is that full texts of the submissions are available online. If you're looking for some materials to review for your thesis, dissertation, or professional research, you might find some helpful articles in the site. Click here.