The Biggest questions we don't know how to ask

The Biggest questions we don't know how to ask

by chris macrae -
Number of replies: 5

It seemed appropriate to launch this thread today, as if you go to google you'll see its Sir Arthur Conan Doyle day

I want to do a "detective survey" of the shareholders of The Economist asking them why in 1984 after 30 years of deputy editing The Economist my father forecast that networks would be the biggest revolution that one generation of humanity ever faced, and this decade 2005-2015 would be the one when we would need a mother of all revolutions to economics

My question to you is: what should I ask them to maximise responses -however diverse they may be - on ways that economics needs to change if our species' compound futures are to be mutually sustainable?

I do have some ideas of how to frame this question, but first do you? Or should I leave the question open as in the second paragraph but footnote 12 lines of one of his 1984 articles which makes it clear that the communicatuions and transport revolutions of network need more new maps than any communications revolution ever did (be it the printing press, telecoms etc) or any transport revolution (be it the 1500s understanding that the globe needed an atlas integrating sea-captains' logs or the revolution to industry that followed the invention of the engine in early 1800s)

In reply to chris macrae

Re: The Biggest questions we don't know how to ask

by Susanne Nyrop -
Dear Chris,

your detective survey sounds really intriguing and I would love to read part of, or the whole article that was written in 1984, forecasting the network revolution in these actual times.  Your big question is turning about ways that economics needs to change if our species' compound futures are to be mutually sustainable. Would you know which answers to expect from your target group asked?

 I recall some time ago I found a site giving an easy way to calculate our own personal consumption of energy and resources, compared to what's left for the future, also that it is now possible to send money as a compensation for our greed of resources that would be used for environment projects.  Perhaps links to such material would underline your message.
In reply to Susanne Nyrop

Re: The Biggest questions we don't know how to ask

by Susanne Nyrop -
Oh oh, Chris

you already made this easy to find long ago

I did not even have to ask you here for this information as I could very easily use my Google-tective skills to track Norman Macrae's online archive - and the above mentioned 1984 article www.normanmacrae.com/netfuture.html#Anchor-Ou-5517

Thought I'd better share this URL asap before I got distracted and carried away elsewhere.

yours,

Sus

PS I'm reading these days Sherlock Holmes paa Marienlyst, a Danish Sherlock Holmes novel from 1906 by a popular Danish journalist and writer Carl Muusmann, and reprinted in 2005.  Arthur Conan Doyle's detective stories became very popular, and were translated and copied in many languages. In Denmark was also filmed a long list of silent movies with Sherlock Holmes, with manus, instruction and actor Viggo Larsen. But Conan Doyle himself was a little annoyed with the popularity of his detective stories and wanted more attention to his more serious production.  He actually visited Copenhagen in his late years, 1929 where he was propagating life after death and the spiritualism that was quite popular by then...

In reply to Susanne Nyrop

Re: The Biggest questions we don't know how to ask

by chris macrae -

a question I have been working on in the last few days: if we could nominate 100 people whose ideas are worth every child knowing how to connect with, and ideally to find current alumni practitioners of as and when needed - who would we nominate?

it may be that some of tehse 100 people - eg Gandhi - have lessons that teachers of all 10 year olds everywhere could mentor children in knowing of and knowing where they are practised today

it may be in other cases that if enough kids in families who have resources to make world changing decisions were ethically aware of the lesson, that would chnage stuff

I am starting to log up some ideas at http://er100.blogspot.com ; its true that I am starting with different  people I believe that shareholders of the economist might reflect their children cannot dismiss in terms of what leadership is all about

but I think the question is a valid one (whomever we are trying to ask questions of);  perhaps we could unite round if we agree there's a lot of chnage to try to plant before we encourage 21st Children to learn and netwirk to make the greatest connecting differences they could

In reply to chris macrae

Re: The Biggest questions we don't know how to ask

by Susanne Nyrop -
Hello Chris,

your idea of nominating the 100 most important role models reminds me very much of a Danish equivalent, the Danish Culture heritage canon that has been discussed heavily the past year. This is meant to represent a minimum of writers, musicians, arists etc that should be taught in Danish high schools. Many teachers find this very limiting and perhaps even meaningless, because they may strongly disagree with the choice of just ten (or is that twelve) masterpieces for each category. And, one very disappointing fact is that the end result contains less than 10 % women as role models in this canon. Another dark side of this is the very nationalist Danish-only choice, a true reminder how narrow our intercultural self understanding can be taught. Denmark has a tradtion of a non curriculary school system which means that the choice of material and methods could be quite free and openly interpreted. We have no tradition for testing and no grading and exams until about age 15! And a canon like the one mentioned above imposes certain ideas and preferences on teachers as well as students

From my view - yes why not have a look at a broad range of oh so excellent people from historical times and among the still living, with a strong reminder of not becoming too conservative instead of innovative!! And, do not forget we can also learn from the bad examples with a critical mind set!  Some of the most important change agents, from my point of view,  are probably quite controversial to others
In reply to Susanne Nyrop

Re: The Biggest questions we don't know how to ask

by chris macrae -

does anyone know of a website which organises learning aroynd 100 or however many candidates for worth understanding - providing some bookmarks and texts to erad ; and then at the bottom of each candidate permitting a moderated thread to include:

questions

alternative nominations in the same area

It seems to me that if we diversely sourced such a web its cross-cultural learning potential could inforemally chnage the world; and the cost of starting this up most be minimal compared with developing any curriculum anywhere

I just think there are some gloabl and local communal projects of thsi sort that could change learning at so little cost - alterantive questions:

if you agree, why's it not being done

if you diagree, or don't yet get what I mean , why not clarify with a question...

chris

http://er100.blogspot.com