No, You're Probably Not Smarter Than an Average 1912 8th Grader

Smithsonian ^

[CMB_polarization]

The electronic distractions of today are the propaganda tools of tomorrow.

[driftdiver]

smart and educated are not the same thing.

[trubolotta]

Oh yes, American’s are so much smarter today because they don’t know these facts. Who needs to know where the Suez canal is located?/s

[freedumb2003]

>>Who needs to know where the Suez canal is located<<

The Suezians?

[Hardraade]

Trayvon voter: “What’s a country?”

[Impy]

Ping

[mikrofon]

• No, You're Probably Not Smarter Than an Average 1912 8th Grader

  Sunday, October 20, 2013 7:10:48 PM · by SamAdams76 · 6 replies

  Smithsonian ^

• The White House Brain Initiative

  Sunday, October 20, 2013 7:04:49 PM · by EBH · 9 replies

  WhiteHouse.gov ^ | 4/2/2013

[Daffynition]

You said Montenegro.

That's racist.

[Olog-hai]

Wow, look at the archaic spelling of “calcimining”, which means to whitewash (i.e. use cheap white paint with calcium hydroxide as curative agent and chalk powder as pigment).

And here is a question that they want modern kids to be utterly ignorant of with respect to the answers:

Define the following forms of government: Democracy, Limited Monarchy, Absolute Monarchy, Republic. Give examples of each.

[dr_lew]

Do I see a typo in the spelling list?

[RockyMtnMan]

“[I do not] carry such information in my mind since it is readily available in books. ...The value of a college education is not the learning of many facts but the training of the mind to think.”

Albert Einstein

[Olog-hai]

I see it too. And it’s eerily prescient that the words “potential” and “creature” are next to each other.

I see a typo in the physiology list. (I don’t think it’s an archaic spelling.)

[rdcbn]

Our 8th Grade class could have answered most of those no problem

[trubolotta]

First, we are not talking about college but grade school.

Second, the world doesn’t revolve around physics and math.

Third, in spite of the quote, I’ll bet Einstein had a fairly good command of such facts.

Fourth, memorization and thinking are complimentary mental exercises, not mutually exclusive.

Fifth, even if I can derive several equations for the calculation of pi, I am no better a citizen when that is completed.

[NoKoolAidforMe]

Yes. Should be endeavor.

[BfloGuy]

Trayvon voter: “What’s a country?”

Answer: Europe is a cuntry I wuold very much like to vizit.

[dr_lew]

The same sentiment is expressed by Richard Feynman in the story, A Map of the Cat?, in “Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!” , in reference to the memorization of anatomy.

[Olog-hai]

Actually, the world does revolve according to the principles of physics and math. Human society, however, is much more complex.

And there is only one way to calculate π; it does not require derivation. Divide the circumference of any circle by its diameter. (Why is it important to be a better or worse “citizen” versus person, too?)

[EEGator]

That pic is awesome.