[alicebot-aiethics] Computers vs. stock brokers/analysts ...

[Tamara Thompson]

http://www.techreview.com/magazine/sep01/reviews.asp    (David Goodstein, Technical
Paradox)



           Re/Views:
           Science Education Paradox
           By David Goodstein

                                   September 2001


           How can the same system produce scientific elites and illiterates?

           The United States by any conceivable
           measure has the finest scientists in the
           world. But the rest of the population, by
           any rational standard, is abysmally
           ignorant of science, mathematics and all
           things technical. That is the paradox of
           scientific elites and scientific illiterates:
           how can the same system of education
           that produced all those brilliant
           scientists also have produced all that
           ignorance?

           The situation is not merely paradoxical;
           it's downright perilous.We face an era
           that promises ever accelerating
           technological change in every aspect of
           our lives, while at the same time the very
           survival of our civilization may depend
           on our ability to make wise decisions
           about how to manage our resources,
           our climate and our conflicts. In the next
           century, we will need to be able to deal
           confidently with technical issues, and a
           responsible electorate will need to have
           some reasonable mastery of how the world works.

           See url for rest of article, it isn't formatted for easy cut and paste
here.