[MD] A fine mess

[Khoo Hock Aun]

Andre & Ian,

Correction, my earlier post should read:
I used to think and I still subscribe to the idea that no institution on
earth gives you an education.
A good education is something you give yourself.
To continue:

From Wikipedia: "Beginning in the Han
Dynasty<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_Dynasty>(206 BCE to 220 CE),
prior to the imperial examination system, most
appointments in the imperial bureaucracy were based on recommendations from
prominent aristocrats <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristocrat> and local
officials, and it was commonly accepted that recommended individuals must be
of aristocratic rank. Beginning in the Three Kingdom
period<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_kingdoms>(with the nine-rank
system <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine-rank_system> in the Kingdom
of Wei<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Wei>),
imperial officials were responsible for assessing the quality of the talents
recommended by the local elites. This system continued until Emperor Yang of
Sui <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Yang_of_Sui> established a new
category of recommended candidates for the mandarinate (进士科) in 605
CE<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/605>.
For the first time, an examination system was explicitly instituted for a
category of local talents. This is generally accepted as the beginning of
the imperial examination system
(科举).[1]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_examination#cite_note-0>

Theoretically, any male adult in China <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China>,
regardless of his wealth or social status, could become a high-ranking
government official by passing the imperial examination, although under some
dynasties members of the merchant class were excluded. In reality, since the
process of studying for the examination tended to be time-consuming and
costly (if tutors were hired), most of the candidates came from the
numerically small but relatively wealthy land-owning gentry. However, there
are vast numbers of examples in Chinese
history<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_history>in which
individuals moved from a low social status to political prominence
through success in imperial examination. Under some dynasties the imperial
examinations were abolished and official posts were simply sold, which
increased corruption <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_corruption> and
reduced morale."

Khoo:
What a wonderful idea; the notion of an examination where candidates may
prepare for to advance according to their capacity and capability. But while
the Chinese Imperial examination system may have been the model for the
western churches of reason when it came their turn to provide a system of
calibration for their graduates into society at large; the examination
is now reduced to be the vast instrument of compliance for the Western based
SOM intellectual community to impose its worldview on hapless populations.

Without it and the paper qualifications they yield, you dont get a job, feed
your familiy or have even a chance of advancement. Without it in Communist
China, you do not get appointed to the plum positions in the bureaucracy and
their various arms. If ever there is an avenue for an idea to be imposed
upon the world in the most brutal effective sense its the examination
system.

Unless of course you are ready to make your way into the world in the much
less regarded world of crafts and commerce, which require less of the
intellect and more of the social skills and streetwisdom.  Bill Gates by
this measure far overcompensated for his initial shortcoming.

Before examinations held such sway, you learned your craft through
apprenticeships and became good enough when your master said so or when you
were simply good enough.

It is this internal compass for Quality that is missing from the equation
and I thought both ZAMM and Lila highlighted that absence in the education
system today. Our bearings for Quality come outside the education system and
we have to reach into our direct experience with the world and the universe
in general to acheive a proper balance.

Where the intellect and its systems fails us, we make up for it with
commonsense.

Rgds
Khoo Hock Aun

On Fri, Dec 5, 2008 at 11:55 AM, Andre Broersen <andrebroersen at gmail.com>wrote:

> Ian:
>
> It is ironic that it is called a "qualification" no ? When it is
> really a "quantification". When objectives (values) become objects,
> they are so much easier for accountants to count, and harder for the
> rest of us to value. Education without quality.
>
> Andre:
>
> Hi Ian, yes, I agree with everything you say.Where education should be the
> domain of exploration, a sort of experimental laboratory and also a type
> Phaedrus describes in ZMM, it is one giant factory where students learn
> what
> they need to know which is determined by the marketplace. Ready made
> subjects as part of a ready made curriculum spouting ready made knowledge
> to
> get ready made jobs.
> And I believe it will only get worse as schools, colleges and universities,
> certainly over the last 20 years have sought closer working relationships
> with big and small business (both in terms of financial sponsoring and
> provision of required knowledge [by business]).
> Students are pre-packaged to suit a pre-determined job to keep on feeding
> the Giant.
> Yes, this whole notion of 'paper qualification', these ever increasing
> meritocracies where 'ability' is defined and reflected in the number of
> pieces of paper a person has.(and not real ability in many cases).
> The 'familiarity' Phaedrus talked about, this 'experience once attained'
> can
> lead to creative/playful use of that which you know and of that which one
> is
> expected to do, but is seen as low value.
> In Holland, when one has reached the age of 45 and up, and having lost
> one's
> job (after having been in one for 20 odd years) one has buckly's chance on
> getting another one. One is simply considered too old. (that's one of the
> reasons why I sit here in China as a voluntary development worker!).
> Anyway, I can go on and on about this. Yes, Ian it is worrying and
> depressing.
>
> But Cheers! Andre
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