(April 26, 2015 at 3:51 am)robvalue Wrote: I agree some people rely too much on technology and don't engage their brain.
When I was a maths teacher, a student was doing a sum to find out the length of the side of a shape. He plugged some figures into his calculator (making an error doing so) and wrote down the answer of -5 or something like that. I asked him if he saw a problem with that answer and he said no, that's what the calculator says.
I think in the early levels of math instruction, one should not be allowed to use a calculator. Pushing buttons on a calculator does not give one an understanding of math.
(April 26, 2015 at 3:51 am)robvalue Wrote: My father in law keeps telling me how much better things were before mobile phones. He has one, of course!
Sometimes, people have things because they have to have them, not because they want them. My wife has a cell phone for work. She is required to have it; it is not an option if she wants her job.
I personally have a cell phone, and I like having one. However, I use it in a manner of my choosing. I have it off most of the time, and turn it on if I want to make a call, or if I am expecting a call. I do not let the technology own me, or run my life. I think a lot of people have trouble with this, and can never get away from work, and have their lives constantly interrupted by others.
I think for a lot of people, their lives would be better if cell phones had never been invented. Many people have trouble with using things wisely.
Also, some idiots use the damn things in movie theaters and other such places, which affects other people. So, yes, in many instances, it would be better if cell phones had never been invented. It would be nice if it were impossible for a cell phone to ring when one is at a theater or concert or other such thing. And before cell phones were invented, it was impossible for a cell phone to ring in a theater or concert or other such thing.
(April 26, 2015 at 3:51 am)robvalue Wrote: Some theists seem to think science is some evil sentient force hell bent on eradicating religion and removing all morality or something. As it happens, it does make religion look pretty stupid, but that's far from its intended effect. The problem is not with science, it's with the fact that religion is stupid.
Yes.
"A wise man ... proportions his belief to the evidence."
— David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Section X, Part I.
