Reclaim ambition
The 40th anniversary of man’s landing on the moon commemorates a supreme achievement of collective will. However, the fact that we have been no further into space since the 1970s should prompt some reflection. Did something special mark that past generation? Have we lost something?
Perhaps the generation of people who made it happen had something special. This generation grew up in the Depression and through the Second World War. The formative years of astronauts Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins occurred when the community had to work together in a supreme effort to defeat threats to civilisation. Collectively, they succeeded.
Perhaps this experience imbued the decision makers of the 1960s with a will to make things happen.
Today we face similar challenges. But our near inertia of today, as compared with 40 years ago, as we face threats of pollution, climate change and overpopulation, seem to show we have lost that collective will that once helped us achieve the seemingly impossible. Maybe it’s time to reclaim our ambition.
Andrew Field, Camberwell
Nigel Stewart Australia, Commentary, Tech, USA Australia, opinion
A recent ABC Background Briefing radio documentary looks at the role of MBA education in the current financial crisis: MBA: Mostly bloody awful.
What we taught were very simplified and not necessarily accurate models of human behaviour, that over time become self-fulfilling. And so there was this model that in fact by basically being self-interested to an extreme, that was the appropriate way to behave and act. And what that does over time, because this is not an innocent exercise, it actually over time because it is a professional school, comes to shape the identity of those individuals. That is, they begin to see themselves in those views. And one of the consequences of that is that if you look with respect to executive compensation for example, and the incentives around that, the view becomes that I actually have to be compensated to do the job I was hired for, and on top of that you have to bribe me with stock options to make sure I do that job. In no other occupation or profession is that part of the modus operandi.
Nigel Stewart Australia, Commentary, USA business, education, leadership, mba, podcast
Third state education board vote mandates teaching students challenges to evolution
The State Board of Education this afternoon rejected efforts to continue to require Texas children to learn the “strengths and weaknesses” of scientific theories including evolution. But a narrower challenge to evolutionary theory was approved.
Two motions to leave the “strengths and weaknesses” language, or similar phrasing, in place failed. It was a defeat for a group of conservative board members who have been pushing to keep the phrase, which has been part of the Texas science curriculum for all public school students since 1988.
The latest little skirmish in the culture wars.
nigels Commentary, Texas, USA creationism, darwin, evolution, intelligent design, religion, Texas
A blog in response to an article Why The Gods are Not Winning that examines the broad and gradual trend towards secularism in the USA:
The trends, IF they continue, are in our favor
…secularism thrives in an environment that is economically strong, where good education is the norm. Faith thrives on economic uncertainty, and grows best in ignorance. Guess which one of those conditions is easiest to generate and maintain?
Nigel Stewart Commentary, USA politics, religion, secularism, USA
Letters to the editor, The Age January 10th 2009
A healthy debate
AS AN ordained minister for 52 years, I relish conversation with committed atheists.
They have as much right to present their case as I have to present mine.
Atheists are God’s gift to the believers, obliging us to think through our position more carefully and express it more cogently.
For too long, believers have been able to peddle their wares unchallenged except by widespread indifference. I am delighted that individuals such as Richard Dawkins now have believers on their toes.
Reverend John Bodycomb, Doncaster
There is an interesting radio transcript of an interview with John Bodycomb from Wednesday, 8 July, 1998.
Also, What Do We Mean By God? with Rev Dr John Bodycomb MP3 audio and PDF transcript.
Nigel Stewart Australia, Commentary, USA atheism, Australia, christianity, opinion
As reported in The Age:
Explicit sex education could be compulsory for children as young as 10 under radical proposals to curb Australia’s “alarmingly high” rate of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection.
Interestingly, the rate of teenage pregnancy in Australia is less than half of that in the USA.
I wonder what is going on in the Netherlands?
Nigel Stewart Australia, Commentary, USA ama, Australia, netherlands, teenage pregnancy, USA
