>>>part of the point of general education is to give us all a
>>>broad base of knowledge on which to operate.
>>
>>This would be cultural though not necessarily educational?
>
>it needs to be educational b/c plenty of us wouldn't get that
>exposure if we leave it to culture.

I was saying that such education is culturally focused not critical thinking educational. Even your literary examples are culturally based. And sure this is the dominant culture so it's hard to separate that from general knowledge but it isn't necessary. Take it out of the western context, is a working knowledge of shakespeare necessary? How about a working knowledge of the koran inside of a western context? These are cultural things, not measures of intelligence.

>>I still think exposure can cover that though the how is
>hard.
>>How often do you deal with buson burners though?
>
>i wouldn't have known if i wanted to deal w/Bunsen burners if
>i hadn't been forced to study chemistry (and biology and
>physics) as a teen. b/c my parents and my family and my
>neighbors don't have Bunsen burners or any other actual
>laboratory equipment (let alone science experiments, et al)
>for me to play with.

Right but if you were exposed to an experiment and it held an interest for you, school should provide you the opportunity to pursue that interest. I'm not sayinf remove these things from school, but rather lose the required nature of them so that you are ree to pursue what really holds you.

and I think its about 50/50 on people that know early on what they're going to be about and those who float around a bit. A lot of overachievers are the way they are because of a specialized focus that allowed them to truly pursue those things.



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Big PEMFin H & z's
"I ain't no entertainer, and ain't trying to be one. I am 1 thing, a musician." � Miles

"When the music stops he falls back in the abyss."