steve@hcradm.UUCP (Steve Pozgaj) (10/08/85)
In the recent issue of Computing Canada, David Suzuki, perhaps Canada's most generally well-known scientist-at-large, has the following interesting comment: "On a test of science and technology issues, if businessmen and lawyers were in school, they would be in a special section for the mentally retarded." How thought provoking.
kenward@mdivax1.UUCP (kenward) (10/09/85)
> In the recent issue of Computing Canada, David Suzuki, perhaps Canada's > most generally well-known scientist-at-large, has the following > interesting comment: > "On a test of science and technology issues, if businessmen > and lawyers were in school, they would be in a special section > for the mentally retarded." > How thought provoking. I hope that these "words of wisdom" are being presented with tongue in cheek. Why anyone would care about Suziki's proclamations mystifies me. Certainly nothing will be accomplished with such shallow generalizations. The real question is why businessmen and lawyers should care about science and technology beyond what is obviously important to their lives and livelihoods. If they should, and I do not think it is that certain, then more will be accomplished in trying to understand why scientists and engineers have, or perceive themselves to have, a monopoly on this knowledge. If an eager, capable student fails to learn, it is the fault of the teacher. -- Gary W. Kenward Mobile Data International Inc. Riverside Industrial Park Richmond, B.C. Canada V7A 4Z3 Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> SNAP! <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
dave@lsuc.UUCP (10/10/85)
In article <2293@hcradm.UUCP> steve@hcradm.UUCP (Steve Pozgaj) writes: > (quoting David Suzuki) > "On a test of science and technology issues, if businessmen > and lawyers were in school, they would be in a special section > for the mentally retarded." Indeed. Let's try that again... "On a test of business and legal issues, if computer scientists and technologists were in school, they would be in a special section for the mentally retarded." We all have our specialties, don't we? Dave Sherman (just a "mentally retarded" lawyer) The Law Society of Upper Canada Toronto -- { ihnp4!utzoo pesnta utcs hcr decvax!utcsri } !lsuc!dave
henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer) (10/10/85)
On a similar theme, I remember seeing an article by a Japanese business
expert who often taught courses in North America. Typically he'd start
out by asking his students to solve a quadratic equation; of course, only
a small fraction of them could. Most of them resented being asked to do
something so utterly irrelevant to business, until he pointed out that
the very simplest models of practically all financial tradeoffs require
solving quadratic equations. These people had been trained for acquisitions
and mergers and legal maneuvering; it's no wonder they do such a poor job
of making products and providing services, when all their training leads
them to consider such matters unimportant.
--
Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
{allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henrysteve@hcradm.UUCP (Steve Pozgaj) (10/11/85)
In article <840@lsuc.UUCP> dave@lsuc.UUCP (David Sherman) writes: > ... > "On a test of business and legal issues, if computer > scientists and technologists were in school, they would > be in a special section for the mentally retarded." > >We all have our specialties, don't we? Without a doubt. Unfortunately, not many of us can get the press attention that David Suzuki commands.
majka@ubc-vision.UUCP (Marc Majka) (10/16/85)
Dr. Suzuki has been known to speak without much consideration of his words. A few months ago, he wrote an article on AI for The Province. He began with Minsky's quote on regarding the human brain as a "Meat Machine". Suzuki snapped at Minsky that he should stick to Computer Science and leave biology to the biologists. He then went off on a long flame about AI, how and why it should work, and its philosophical implications. With all due respect to Dr. Suzuki, he should stick to genetics. --- Marc Majka - UBC Laboratory for Computational Vision
absary@watmath.UUCP (Al Sary) (10/24/85)
In article <184@mdivax1.UUCP> kenward@mdivax1.UUCP (kenward) writes: > >> In the recent issue of Computing Canada, David Suzuki, perhaps Canada's >> most generally well-known scientist-at-large, has the following >> interesting comment: > >> "On a test of science and technology issues, if businessmen >> and lawyers were in school, they would be in a special section >> for the mentally retarded." > >> How thought provoking. > >I hope that these "words of wisdom" are being presented with tongue in cheek. >Why anyone would care about Suziki's proclamations mystifies me. Certainly >nothing will be accomplished with such shallow generalizations. > >The real question is why businessmen and lawyers should care about science and >technology beyond what is obviously important to their lives and livelihoods. >If they should, and I do not think it is that certain, then more will be >accomplished in trying to understand why scientists and engineers have, or >perceive themselves to have, a monopoly on this knowledge. > David Suzuki gave a talk a short while ago at the U. of Waterloo, and when he said the same thing as above, he was referring to politicians in governments; most members of governments are from business and law (according to Suzuki). Politicians do make a lot of decisions which involve science, and it is questionable if they always know what they are doing (eg. acid rain, nuclear waste, defence, just to name a few). >If an eager, capable student fails to learn, it is the fault of the teacher. I am not sure I agree with that. Some people may be eager to learn one thing and not something else. One more thing; Suzuki did say that people nowdays are over specialized, and he wasn't only talking about lawyers and businessman (but lawyers and businessman effect your life more if they are politicians).