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I would bet that a young person like this will be fine no matter what AI and robotics bring.
Conversely, a person who defines themselves solely as a student may struggle to find a place for themselves as many existing career paths vanish.
Conversely, a person who defines themselves solely as a student may struggle to find a place for themselves as many existing career paths vanish.
I met a 17 year old homeschooler that had his own business for lawn maintenance. He owned a truck, two trailers, deck mower, push mower, trimmer, blower, pressure washer, and various other tools. He was in college, studying digital marketing, designing his micro home on cad software and working on his real estate license.
I had him come over to cut my grass once and he upsaled me for pressure washing my deck and cutting my grass for next season.
This is what homeschoolers do.
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And nuanced thought is lost.
Self-censorship on college campuses is not simply about being conservative: students with moderate views self-censor the most, due to differences in topic saliency and confidence, from Peter Arcidiacono, Cory Dowd, and Matthew Lilley nber.org/papers/w35979
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This is certainly how I learn and how I encourage others to learn. “Play with” can certainly imply trying different kinds of problems in technical subjects, as well as practicing to achieve fluency (which may not feel like “play”), but certainly attacking something (eg how cats play) in different ways until it makes sense is better than passively doing the assignments.
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Alana has been hearing concerns about AI and the future of jobs. Therefore we are taking a break from older texts and reading contemporary commentary. This week we read "AI as Normal Technology" by @random_walker and @sayash as published April 2025.
It provides a perspective ainstream accelerationist and doomers that is worth considering,
"The normal technology frame is about the relationship between technology and society. It rejects technological determinism, especially the notion of AI itself as an agent in determining its future. It is guided by lessons from past technological revolutions, such as the slow and uncertain nature of technology adoption and diffusion. It also emphasizes continuity between the past and the future trajectory of AI in terms of societal impact and the role of institutions in shaping this trajectory."
Against this, she notes the incredibly rapid adoption rates (and she has seen relevant adoption graphs).
We don't settle anything here. Instead, she has a healthy appetite to continue to read the contemporary literature on AI and the future, as it should be. I want learners (aka people) to continue to be interested in seriously understanding the world.
And, of course, she is thinking for herself.
(For those who are new to this series, Alana and I have been having quasi-weekly Socratic conversations since was 4 years old. She is now 14. All ten years of recordings are available at my "Socratic Michael Strong" YouTube channel).
It provides a perspective ainstream accelerationist and doomers that is worth considering,
"The normal technology frame is about the relationship between technology and society. It rejects technological determinism, especially the notion of AI itself as an agent in determining its future. It is guided by lessons from past technological revolutions, such as the slow and uncertain nature of technology adoption and diffusion. It also emphasizes continuity between the past and the future trajectory of AI in terms of societal impact and the role of institutions in shaping this trajectory."
Against this, she notes the incredibly rapid adoption rates (and she has seen relevant adoption graphs).
We don't settle anything here. Instead, she has a healthy appetite to continue to read the contemporary literature on AI and the future, as it should be. I want learners (aka people) to continue to be interested in seriously understanding the world.
And, of course, she is thinking for herself.
(For those who are new to this series, Alana and I have been having quasi-weekly Socratic conversations since was 4 years old. She is now 14. All ten years of recordings are available at my "Socratic Michael Strong" YouTube channel).
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“Extruded fantasy product”
So, Terry Pratchett was once asked what books aspiring fantasy novelists should read if they hope to write great fiction. His advice was telling. He encouraged authors to avoid reading much of what passes for contemporary fantasy (what he called “Extruded Fantasy Product,” derivative of Tolkien). “Do not write it,” he said, “and try not to read it. Read widely outside the genre. Read about the Old West (a fantasy in itself) or Georgian London or how Nelson’s navy was victualled or the history of alchemy or clock-making or the mail coach system. Read with the mindset of a carpenter looking at trees.”
Any great fantasy series you can name, from Star Wars to Narnia to Discworld, was written by authors who read voraciously, who read old books and loved old myths, whose minds were so steeped in history and folklore and obscure pulp fiction that they couldn’t have written derivative works if they had tried. We’ll only have great fantasy in this century if we can recover the reading habits of the authors of a previous era.
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In a domain in which machines are clearly more capable, they teach us how to think differently.
“The machines aren’t just better at calculating, they’re actually teaching the best players how to think differently.”
“The machines aren’t just better at calculating, they’re actually teaching the best players how to think differently.”
JOE ROGAN: The computing power on your phone today. can you beat your phone at the highest level?
MAGNUS CARLSEN: No. No chance.
JOE ROGAN: That’s crazy. Wasn’t Deep Blue basically a whole stack of computers? And your phone is probably more powerful than that today.
MAGNUS I have no chance against my phone.
JOE ROGAN: So how do you even play against computers?
MAGNUS CARLSEN: I rarely play against engines because they just make me feel stupid and useless. I think of them more as a tool.
JOE ROGAN: But have computers actually changed how you understand chess?
MAGNUS CARLSEN: Absolutely. Neural networks have improved our understanding of the game immensely.
JOE ROGAN: What did you learn from them that humans weren’t already doing?
MAGNUS CARLSEN: One big thing was long-term king safety. Humans used to push pawns mainly as an attacking tool. But the engines showed that you could push a pawn and create a weakness 20 or 30 moves later that would make the opponent’s king less safe.
JOE ROGAN: So the computer basically showed you ideas that humans weren’t seeing.
MAGNUS CARLSEN: Exactly. There was a period where you could clearly see which players were using these new neural-network ideas and which weren’t.
JOE ROGAN: And you were one of the guys who figured it out early?
MAGNUS CARLSEN: Yeah. My coach got into it very quickly, and we gained an advantage over almost everybody.
JOE ROGAN: That’s insane. The machines aren’t just better at calculating, they’re actually teaching the best players how to think differently.
MAGNUS CARLSEN: That’s probably the biggest impact they’ve had on chess.
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The biggest structural change to accelerate math learning for the top 20% is to allow self-paced math with guides/tutors supporting as needed.
I built a school for highly gifted students in south Florida in the 90s. Our math partner, The Institute for Mathematics and Computer Science, had many high students entering elite university math programs at the Junior year level their freshman year. All self paced math with tutors using their Elements of Mathematics curriculum.
In the late 90s, I created a Montessori middle school where we used Accelerated Math, a self paced software program. This allowed us to have 30 students in one classroom ranging from a learning disabled student in grade 3 math to an 8th grade who had mastered pre-calculus. He was the most advanced math student at Cupertino High School in grade 9. The Montessori culture helped a lot because Montessori students are accustomed to working on their own and asking for help when they need it.
At @socraticexp we have a wide range of mathematical students, including high school students taking college math courses. With @_MathAcademy_ this is easy to do. Some also prefer taking college math directly from a university because they get the credit from that university.
I’m not surprised that Khanmigo, the AI bot, had no impact on learning.
But meanwhile millions of students being homeschooled or in alternative schools are racing through more advanced math than they would be allowed to do in many schools simply by using Math Academy or other convenient tools for self-paced math.
I built a school for highly gifted students in south Florida in the 90s. Our math partner, The Institute for Mathematics and Computer Science, had many high students entering elite university math programs at the Junior year level their freshman year. All self paced math with tutors using their Elements of Mathematics curriculum.
In the late 90s, I created a Montessori middle school where we used Accelerated Math, a self paced software program. This allowed us to have 30 students in one classroom ranging from a learning disabled student in grade 3 math to an 8th grade who had mastered pre-calculus. He was the most advanced math student at Cupertino High School in grade 9. The Montessori culture helped a lot because Montessori students are accustomed to working on their own and asking for help when they need it.
At @socraticexp we have a wide range of mathematical students, including high school students taking college math courses. With @_MathAcademy_ this is easy to do. Some also prefer taking college math directly from a university because they get the credit from that university.
I’m not surprised that Khanmigo, the AI bot, had no impact on learning.
But meanwhile millions of students being homeschooled or in alternative schools are racing through more advanced math than they would be allowed to do in many schools simply by using Math Academy or other convenient tools for self-paced math.
My favorite answer from interviewing Justin yesterday was about AI.
I asked for his thoughts on the impact of AI on education.
He said it's a really exciting technology to optimize the learning process, but the current state of traditional education is so bad, the gap between education models is so large (photo lol) that you don't really need large investments in AI to start fixing it.
Basic software and algorithms, and some changes in the school structure (class-paced -> self-paced learning and software as a content delivery tool instead of a teacher, whose role becomes a guide), are enough already to significantly increase the efficacy of the learning process.
Are you already at the frontier of the learning productivity? Ok, then now you definitely should use AI to optimize it - as many are already doing it.
The point being is, don't fall for the idea that we NEED AI to improve traditional education. We do not. It's a powerful tool and it will help a lot. But if, for some reason, you can't deploy AI-driven tools for your students, that's not an excuse to not fix your school.
It's Pareto. 20% will drive 80% of the returns. The 20% don't need to involve AI at all.
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Academia.
Academic fraud is widespread
In a record-breaking retraction, a scholarly publisher pulled 1,400 conference papers in one day
Many of these papers were from "paper mills" that sell authorship to the highest bidder. Trices for authorship ranged from US$43 to $400 for a 11 to $200 for a last-author slot.
nature.com/articles/d4158…
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My book, The Habit of Thought: From Socratic Seminars to Socratic Practice, is dedicated to independent thinkers everywhere. The goal of my Socratic practice is to develop intellectual integrity in our my students at @socraticexp .
who is prompting you?
$CLAUDIA contest entry by @PinelandLabs
clip's 2:19 — full video + vote → sxsi.com/s/contest-who-…
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This is a superintendent I can respect.
I'm a public school superintendent in Florida. And I believe in school choice.
Some people find that surprising.
They shouldn't.
I believe in free markets and I believe competition makes everyone better.
Florida has given parents real power to choose where their children learn. Charter schools, private schools, virtual options, scholarships that follow the child.
I don't see that as a threat to public education. I see it as the push public education needed.
When a business knows its customers can leave, it gets better. It listens. It innovates. It earns loyalty instead of assuming it.
Our customers are students and parents. And in my district, we compete for them every day.
That means:
→ Building programs families can't find anywhere else → Responding to parents like their time and trust matter → Measuring ourselves by whether families choose to stay → Never treating an enrollment as something we're owed
Competition doesn't weaken public schools. Complacency does.
The question isn't whether families should have a choice. They should, and in Florida, they do.
The question is whether we'll give them a reason to choose us.
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From one of the greatest identifiers of early entrepreneurial talent in the world (teens and early 20s college dropouts).
after reviewing 10,000+ Thiel Fellowship applications, Michael and Danielle developed some pretty unusual ideas about what makes a great founder.
edge control. hyperfluency. the toilet plunger. Danielle's "Friday Night Dyson sphere."
none of these are a personality test.
we're bastards who always find a way.
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I once knew an Indian-American woman entrepreneur based in Silicon Valley with a couple of exits behind her. She said when she went back home to India, she was expected to be a slave to her mother in law. She loved her family, but hated to lose her autonomy so dramatically.
While Western individualism has gone too far, most of us on this side literally can’t imagine the level of familial obligation expected in more traditional cultures.
While Western individualism has gone too far, most of us on this side literally can’t imagine the level of familial obligation expected in more traditional cultures.
After Yogesh finished high school, his parents insisted that he get a factory job in UEA to pay for his sister's dowry.
He shared a one bedroom apartment with 8 men. On his annual trips to India, he spent over 75% of his salary buying gold for her.
He said he felt "phans sense of personal sacrifice and family duty is almost unheard of in Europe and North America.
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AI will make traditional rating systems obsolete insofar as anyone can specify criteria they regard as credible for university ranking and then generate the rankings.
All university rankings are very flawed.
I wondered how we could rank unis as purely as possible? So I looked at the career path of ~100,000 engineers over 10yrs. Universities rank high when its graduates work at companies, ranked PageRank style, that engineers compete harder to arvard were top 3, but the extent they were above the rest surprised me. Brown at #6, Waterloo at #7!
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James Bennett has suggested that the 21st century will see a morbid fascination with 20th communism. It was one of the most irrational, and most grotesquely murderous, mass insanities in human history, yet promoted and supported by highly educated intellectuals.
But because their intellectual descendants continue to exist in “respectable” academic niches to this day, we’ve not yet achieved a mass, “Wow, how did this possibly happen?” cultural moment.
But because their intellectual descendants continue to exist in “respectable” academic niches to this day, we’ve not yet achieved a mass, “Wow, how did this possibly happen?” cultural moment.
Today is the National Day for the Victims of Communism. Communism killed more than 100 million people in the 20th century.
This memorial, The Memorial to the Victims of Communism in Prague, powerfully captures what communism does to the human person.
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Boydian learning is an important category of learning that is almost entirely absent from standard schooling contexts (and commentary on those contexts).
“A good video game usually introduces a new weapon not by stopping to explain everything it does, but by giving the player the weapon, enough information to make the possibilities legible, and then pointing him toward an opportunity to use it…”
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Most people don’t take John Taylor Gatto seriously when he claims higher literacy rates in MA before public education than after. But the Protestant commitment to Biblical literacy, prior to government schooling, was a more potent force for learning than schooling has been. The Jewish commitment to Talmudic study was even more potent.
On MA literacy before public schools,
skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/1645…
On MA literacy before public schools,
skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/1645…
"The constant reading of the bible in hundreds of thousands of humble families kept a basic floor of literacy under literature as a whole, and under the English language. The variety of styles of writing so admirably represented, the relative complexity of many of the ideas of ethical levels to be found in that great compendium of ancient Hebrew culture demanded, in its reading and in its exposition to the children, a certain mental activity, and provided for the poorer classes the same sort of cultural groundwork that the study of Greek and Latin provided for the sons of the rich. A mind accustomed to the Old and New Testaments could easily admit Shakespeare and the entire range of Victorian writing: poetry, novels, historic and scientific essays, up to the saturation point of that particular intelligence. Today the English-speaking peoples have no such common basic classical education. The bottom level is the visual and aural culture of the movies, not a literary level at all. Above that appear all sorts of gradations of illiteracy, from those who, though they may have learned to read in school, are now barely able to spell out the captions in the pictures, to those who can take in, with the help of the photographs, a few simple sentences out of the daily tabloids, right through to the several millions of actively literate people who can read right through The Saturday Evening Post or The Reader’s Digest and understand every word of it. This is the literal truth. Every statistical survey that has recently been made of literacy in this country has produced the most staggering results. We have to face the fact that the number of Americans capable of reading a page of anything not aimed at the mentality of a child of twelve is not only on the decrease but probably rapidly on the decrease."
John Dos Passos
An over simplification but some truth here. Albert Jay Nock had the same idea - being able to read is not the same as being literate. Brings to mind Lincoln whose formal schooling lasted about six months, perhaps a year. He succinctly summed up his educational background in 1858, when he filled out a brief biographical sketch for the upcoming Dictionary of Congress: “Education defective,” it read. Primarily self-taught he read the Bible & Shakespeare avidly.
In an 1860 biography of candidate Lincoln, journalist William Dean Howells wrote that Mr. Lincoln was “a diligent student of Shakespeare, to know whom is a liberal education.” There's no denying this. Historian William E. Gienapp: "Lincoln’s gift for language was marvelous, even poetic, so much so that he is the only American president other than Thomas Jefferson whose writings can be considered literature.”
As for the King James Bible:
"The King James Bible came at the end of the Elizabethan age, between Shakespeare and Milton, when Englishmen were using words more passionately, richly, vigorously, wittily, and sublimely than ever before or since."
Dwight Macdonald
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Who’s a good boy?
Humanities Ph.D. dissertations have declined 49% over the past decade. Meanwhile, one professor reports that dissertation acknowledgments now average 5.2 pages, with students thanking their therapists, pets and even themselves.
Bad time to pursue a humanities Ph.D. Great time to be a dog.
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We often use this paragraph, along with a few subsequent ones, to introduce Socratic discussion of texts at @socraticexp :
The opening paragraph of Kant’s “What is Enlightenment?” goes so unbelievably hard.
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Context:
Epictetus ch 3. The question was about what to do with desires. Epictetus said to "restrain them" which seems at odds with what many of us think works with desires. So, the question was along the lines of: What do you do with your desires when they want what is outside your control?
Epictetus ch 3. The question was about what to do with desires. Epictetus said to "restrain them" which seems at odds with what many of us think works with desires. So, the question was along the lines of: What do you do with your desires when they want what is outside your control?
Today’s posting in the “highlights” channel in faculty Slack at @socraticexp
“In Ancient Hum today, around 40 mins into class, there was a noteworthy shift from the class not seeming to get a question to suddenly getting it.”
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