Discussion about this post

User's avatar
Brian Steeves's avatar

Another excellent piece Linda! It's a really important issue and without thinkers like yourself bringing it to the fore we'd be travelling blind. Great to be reminded of Ursula Franklin, if only someone with that level of wisdom had the same level of influence over the direction that powers that be wished to move society. But then again that would entail that the powers that be actually had our best interests in mind, which, sadly, doesn't seem to be the case.

Expand full comment
Michael's avatar

In the 1953 book by Bertrand Russell, "The Impact of Science on Society,'' he wrote: "the social psychologists of the future will have a number of classes of school children on whom they will try different methods of producing an unshakable conviction that snow is black. Various results will soon be arrived at. First, that the influence of home is obstructive. Second, that not much can be done unless indoctrination begins before the age of ten. Third, that verses set to music and repeatedly intoned are very effective. Fourth, that the opinion that snow is white must be held to show a morbid taste for eccentricity. . . . It is for future scientists to make these maxims precise and discover exactly how much it costs per head to make children believe that snow is black, and how much less it would cost to make them believe it is dark gray.''

Expand full comment
2 more comments...

No posts