domain:acoup.blog
ControlsFreak
2hr ago
Fair enough. Though I think that as we move in the direction of stronger versions of the divide between rigor and critical thinking, I find myself thinking that it is unlikely that I am going to have access to any sort of measurement or indicator of the level of critical thinking. I think my previous comment could be interpreted as having an implicit, "I don't know how to measure/assess critical thinking, directly, so if I'm going to have any hope at coming to a view on this issue, I'm probably going to have to rely on the best proxy I can come up with that I have been able to access." And thus, the more we move toward thinking that rigor is just not a good proxy, the more I move toward thinking that critical thinking is just currently unobservable.
Corvos
2hr ago
I like your frame partly because it suggests useful ways of addressing the problem. (I don't intend this as a gotcha).
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People are wiping butts instead of cleaning -> more robot vacuums / mops.
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People are wiping butts instead of waiting tables -> more of those robots that carry food from the kitchen to the table + normalize selecting & paying for food using a ticket machine at the entrance as in Japan.
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People are wiping butts instead of manning tills -> put more serious work into unmanned checkouts.
Most of these are not insoluble problems, they are problems that nobody was incentivized to solve.
My only worry would be that so much of our economy is purely financialised at this point that such an approach would neglect serious aspects of reality that matter. No idea if this is true.
Two frames for the argument about less-skilled migration and similar supply-side tradeoffs
A thought inspired by this article on the UK's ConservativeHome. John Oxley's article criticises the Starmer administration for not saying how they are going to recruit British care workers to replace the immigrant care workers they are cutting visas for. Everyone agrees in principle that pay and conditions for care workers will need to improve to make this happen, and that this is all right and proper as long as the Magic Money Fairy pays for it.
Oxley writes about the problem from the perspective of money flows - if we want to pay care workers more, we will need to funnel money into care homes, either by increasing charges to residents (and therefore making Granny sell her house to pay for care), by raising taxes, or by cutting spending on other things.
I tend to prefer the flipped frame which focusses on the flow of goods and services. If we send British workers (and, in particular, physically healthy British workers with a good attitude - this mostly rules out the argument that better-paid care work would magically bring back all the people who have been claiming disability benefits since the pandemic) into care homes, then the work they are currently doing will not get done. In this frame the median voter will be poorer because their favourite restaurant disappears (people are wiping butts instead of waiting tables), they have to spend time in grubby shops, offices, schools and hospitals (people are wiping butts instead of cleaning), and they have to deal with more unexpected items in the bagging area (people are wiping butts instead of manning tills). The tax rises, spending cuts, or even deficit-induced inflation are just a way of making this impoverishment stick in a market economy.
Whichever frame you use, this doesn't answer the question - there could easily be costs of less-skilled migration which mean it is net-negative for the country. But both are ways of forcing you to confront the tradeoff. I prefer the real resources frame because it makes clear that the tradeoff is inexorable and there is no way out through financial jiggery-pokery.
Do Motteposters have a view on whether thinking about this type of question in terms of money or in terms of real resources is more helpful?
Come on. There's a difference between "I am suggesting that people do this to learn life skills" and "I am suggesting that people do this to justify my claims". Ethics classes are recommended in the former context. Your "recommendation" that Pasha study things himself was in the latter context.
You have confused the former for the later. I may not have written well enough and so be partly to blame for your misconception, but unless you have developed internet mind reading skills that allow you to identify motives that I am unaware of, I am confident I know my motives, and my separate claims, better than you.
My claim is that Pasha should learn life skill do this because it can be interesting, and with later elaboration, useful. This could fairly be characterized as "I am suggesting that people do this to learn life skills (that can be interesting and are useful)."
My suggestion of how Pasha should go about it, with the reasoning as to why elaborated after the post, is a claim of a way to avoid (and thus respect) his distrust of the institutional actors who normally teach the subject matter. This could be fairly characterized as "I am suggesting a specific way to learn life skill (that differs from a ways that you have indicated contempt for).
I am not claiming Pasha should do the [this] that was the subject of what I quoted when replying to him-
I have never been exposed to an ethics class that wasn’t total non-sense taught by dimwit professors. Just all around busywork.
My claim is not that Pasha should do [this] to learn life skills anyway. Nor am I making a claim that he should keep trying until he finds one by a non-dimwit professor. Or that the busywork he was assigned in the past was secretly meaningful and he just missed the point.
My claim is that self-driven study of certain sub-fields (professional ethics) is a way to get better value (interest and useful insights) in a way that isn't a disliked medium (ethics class) taught by distrusted instructors (dimwit professors) and or with make-work (busywork). The 'assignment' proposed- noting different lines of emphasis, and how some professions deal with the blanket moral prohibitions espoused by others- does not require any writing or feedback to anyone else. It exists not to provide something to do for a grade, but provide relevant insights for how different professional cultures interact.
You should just explain it, since you are the one making the claim, not demand he study it himself.
One, if you do not consider 'this subject matter can be interesting and professional useful, and this learning way avoids your concerns' an explanation for why to self-study study material, I would suggest you are too used to the motte's tendency for essay-length responses.
Two, it is not a demand. It is a suggestion, hence 'if you get a chance,' which allows him full discretion to refuse on any grounds he wants. The emphasis on his discretion may not have been clear enough due to the words used and the filtering effect of internet, but even then demands have an 'or else [consequence]' attached to the back end. The only [consequence] for not partaking is that he might lose the benefits of [interesting and useful insights] of partaking.
"I want you to do it on your own" is a filibuster, not an honest argument.
No, it is not. On two fronts.
One, a short argument is not a filibuster.
The argument provided may have been too short of an argument. The argument may have been unclear, and used poor choices of word to seem more of a demand than it was. But recommendations with short supporting arguments and no time commitment are about as far from a filibuster argument as one can get.
Two, 'I want you to do it on your own' is an honest argument if it I honestly think he would enjoy and benefit more from doing it on his own and I want him to have that benefit.
Pasha seems highly skeptical of the university format- a format generally meant to guide students rather than have them do it on their own. Moreover, he has built this from personal experience. One can sincerely believe he would both enjoy the material more and be in a mindset to learn specific lessons if he engaged it on his own volition, in a more targeted nature, on their own spare time, rather than be compelled to (i.e. from a demand from dim-wit professors) in a time-constrained environment (university with competing classes).
dukeleto
2hr ago
There is only a massive oversupply because we allow essentially unlimited numbers of foreign grad students in, so they could easily go away
No_one
3hr ago
Are you telling me that Putin and Xi etc trusts American Deep State? Because that's what you're saying, essentially. That the elites trust each other.
IGI-111
God was a dream of good government.
3hr ago
The difference is that the pond is not shared. A disciplined institution will keep its elite status even if it doesn't make as much money in the short term.
The problem is that of producing management that has an interest in the long term instead of looting the existing status for short term gain.
The temptation is strong, but you'd think universities of all institutions would want to select for those kinds of people. I'm sure, say, pontifical universities don't have the same views on this matter as your local community college.
MadMonzer
Temporarily embarrassed liberal elite
3hr ago
NatSci is more specialised then it looks because there isn't enough time in the second year to stay broad if you want to qualify for a competitive specialised third year course. The vast majority of physicists took no courses for credit in the second year except maths, physics, and one scientific computing course that the Computer Science department helps teach but doesn't give its own students credit for. The vast majority of people who get onto a "proper" biological Part II (one that can lead to Masters' and PhD courses) either took all biology in the second year, or organic chemistry as their only non-biological course.
PPE is, by reputation, the easiest Oxford degree. I think this is another case of my underlying point that the closer you get to the classical/US idea of a liberal arts education the harder it gets to resist grade inflation.
RenOS
Technology giveth, Sociology taketh
3hr ago
+1 We were told the same (Applied Math in North Germany). That culture seems to be changing though.
Corvos
3hr ago
PPE at Oxford and Natural Sciences at Cambridge aren’t far off, though.
Of course PPE is widely pilloried for leading to a superficial understanding. I don’t know if that means the curriculum is too broad or the testing too lenient.
MadMonzer
Temporarily embarrassed liberal elite
3hr ago
The fact that multiple Heads of State felt the need to way in on the Saskatchewan crash implies that multiple-fatality accidents where a CDL-holding trucker is uncomplicatedly at fault are vanishingly rare.
This is unsurprising - at-fault car crashes are a "few bad apples" problem. It wouldn't surprise me if the average CDL holder who obeys drivers-hours law (which is effectively enforced in the EU - I don't know about the US) is more than 10x better (in terms of frequency of at-fault crashes) than the average car driver.
FWIW, the minimum standard to pass the driving test in the UK is about twice as high for commercial vehicles vs cars - a car test allows 15 minor faults in 40 minutes (16 minor faults or one serious fault is a fail) whereas a commercial vehicle test allows 12 minor faults in 60 minutes. But the worst car drivers on the road are driving at a standard that would not pass the test - they are unlicensed (and never passed the test) or tired/drunk/testosterone-poisoned/senile and driving worse than they did when they passed their tests.
dr_analog
razorboy
3hr ago
I'm amazed that it could ever go any other way. Schools that get paid to give out degrees that open career doors have inherited a commons. The rare school that doesn't succumb to pressure to pass everyone is like the fisherman saying no, we've caught enough, while surrounded by competitors pulling fish out of the water by the ton.
ccc
3hr ago
Isn't there a massive oversupply of TA's and PhD students? Get them to do it for pennies. Hell, they already do that. It's not like professors at large like teaching anyway, much less grading.
Southkraut
Vibe of vibes, saith the Preacher, vibe of vibes; all is vibe.
4hr ago
Hah, we were told similar things on day 1.
"Look to your left, look to your right, those guys won't be there by the semester's end.".
NunoSempere
4hr ago
Some headlines below for your consideration, focused on risks. The high level overview is that Trump's Middle East trip is going well, India/Pakistan situation not that worrying. I was also surprised that the PKK announced its disbandment. Generally things seem less tense than a couple weeks ago.
Satellite images show Russian military buildup near Finnish border
Cotton Introduces Bill to Prevent Diversion of Advanced Chips to America’s Adversaries and Protect U.S. Product Integrity
Kurdish militant group, PKK decides to disband and end armed struggle with Turkiye
On May 14, a formation of Chinese Coast Guard vessels patrolled the territorial waters around my Diaoyu Islands.
PM Modi outlines harder stance against terrorists. Says that any terrorist attack on India will be met with a strong and decisive response; that India will not tolerate "nuclear blackmail" and will respond with precise strikes; that there will be no distinction between terrorist groups and their sponsors
Türkiye Says It Is Closely Monitoring PKK Disbandment to Secure Peace
Did Pakistan agree to ceasefire after IAF bombed nuclear assets in Kairana Hills? Did it cause leak of radiation?
Iran 'ready to make nuclear concessions'
Amazon will work with AI company recently launched by Saudi Arabia’s ruler to invest upwards of $5 billion-plus in building an AI Zone in Saudi Arabia
Genocide in Syria: Jihadists Massacre Druze, Christians, 'Infidels'
Nvidia sending 18,000 of its top AI chips to Saudi Arabia
Trump, Saudis secure $600B investment deal to include billions in US defense weapons
Similar to a 600B number earlier this year
Taiwan military conducts its first live-fire test of American-made HIMARS, military expert says: its survivability is very fragile.
Nigerian state, Borno, with 6M people, bans the sale of petrol in order to reduce the mobility of jihadist militants
EU finalizes 17th sanctions package targeting Russia's shadow fleet and defense sector
German police arrest three men over alleged Russian parcel bomb plot
Inside Putin's New Kill Squad: Russian Dictator Launches 'KGB 2.0'
Amid beating from India, Baloch rebels also claim 71 attacks on Pakistani forces
No radiation leak from any nuclear facility in Pakistan, says IAEA amid buzz after Indian claims
Macron open to deploying French nuclear weapons in Europe
Estonia tried to detain vessel from Russia's shadow fleeet, did not succeed
4bpp
After January 20th, all orange flairs are considered political
4hr ago
At a not so provincial (but still(?) southern, which tracks at least with my internal stereotypes of the different German folkways) German university back in the noughties, the CS orientation event had them line the students up and do a mod-3 count (like go from left to right saying 1,2,3,1,2,3,...), and then they said that statistically speaking those who said 2 or 3 would drop out before finishing.
MaiqTheTrue
Renrijra Krin
4hr ago
This is starting to happen on the student side. I see more and more kids choosing other paths because they see the costs, watch parents and older siblings struggle to pay back the loans, and want nothing to do with it.
I think once the firehose of graduates slows, businesses will catch on.
SkoomaDentist
4hr ago
Alas, these electronics vendors do not typically sell to hobbyists.
Many of them do (likely because they realize that "hobbyist" might be in a position to decide where to order parts for a company in a year or two). They just have somewhat higher mailing costs which get waived if you order enough euros worth of parts at once. My hobby projects with a friend have made them more than a thousand euros worth of business by now once we expanded to making diy kits of some projects and needed multiple prototype rounds.
SkoomaDentist
4hr ago
How long would you say they are on average when it comes to page count? (ie. how long are those five paragraphs)
quiet_NaN
5hr ago
I think that sourcing the basics, e.g. a breadboard, wired resistors, capacitors, LEDs, jumper wires, some opamps, is not that hard.
Amazon or (in Germany) Conrad have you covered there (if you don't mind overpaying compared to what the parts would cost in bulk).
If you increase your budget to 200$, then different people will want very different things. Matrix LCDs, TTL logic chips, myriads of sensors, servos. Some will want passive SMD components (with different preferences to size).
And in that stage, they probably also want components which are not sold by Conrad, which is when things get painful.
There are, of course, companies which carry zillons of electronic components, e.g. Farnell, Mouser, RS, Digikey. Their stock is well curated, you can filter based on dozens of criteria until you end up with what fits your needs. In fact, having used these websites I have come to despise the shopping experience on Amazon, where little in the way of curation happens and accessories for X regularly appear in the category X.
Alas, these electronics vendors do not typically sell to hobbyists. Presumably, cutting five chips from a reel and packing them for sale is not in itself very profitable, but simply a prerequisite to sell a reel of your chips to companies, eventually. Unlike corporations, private persons rarely scale up their projects to a scale where serious money gets spent, and complying with the consumer protection regulations is just not worth it.
So you sometimes find yourself in the situation where you know that four different companies carry the chip you want, but none of them want to sell to you. (These days, it might be possible that you can get it from China, if you don't mind the wait, though.)
Stefferi
Chief Suomiposter
5hr ago
I generally write standard 5-paragraph essays in the PolSci exams I'm currently taking and have been getting 4s and 5s (on an 1-5 rating scale).
ControlsFreak
5hr ago
I'm pretty sure antimatter gives you a lot more power than chemical rockets, by any reasonable definition.
I had said:
More? Yes. But in context, underwhelming.
Sure, I'd even agree to "a lot more". But "power" isn't necessarily the thing that we care about in rocketry. Nor are you seriously engaging with the exponential.
just like you don't need intergalactic travel to totally transform our spaceflight scene.
My brother in Christ, we are not disagreeing; you're just not engaging with the exponential. If we had an order of magnitude or two increase, that could totally transform our spaceflight scene. The moon could be routine. Mars could be like going on holiday. Even further could be an expedition. But the exponential is still the exponential, and in context of the insanity of exponentials and the universe, mere orders of magnitude only push back the hard stop a "little".
MadMonzer
Temporarily embarrassed liberal elite
5hr ago
What you can't do at Oxford or Cambridge any more is the broad-based curriculum that Roger Bacon would have recognised as a Liberal Arts education, or that the Ivies and SLACs still claim (partially falsely due to grade inflation) to be offering in the US. I don't know the history at Oxford, but at Cambridge the traditional Arts curriculum was grade-inflated into irrelevance by the first half of the nineteenth century, and by 1900 honours degrees (which began life as additional specialist exams on top of the basic liberal arts curriculum for the most able students) were the only degrees offered.
Lykurg
We're all living in Amerika
6hr ago
driving law
I think the theoretically proper way to do this is to make driving laws the "terms of service" for road use. Ordinary contracts can impose all sorts of conditions without mens rea, but punishments would be limited to monetary and losing your license.
That said, I dont think strict liability is really a problem, and its more so just bad- and overregulation in general. I mean, the feathers example doesnt turn on strict liability at all - ignorance of the law is no excuse in either case, and she clearly did intentionally take possession of those feathers. Its just that a ban on possession irrespective of provenance is appropriate to uranium, not bird feathers.
Why would you assume that? The administrator doesn’t have any long term benefit if the school is in good condition far off in the future but benefits greatly from short term boosted numbers.
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