(Conversation recorded on March 21st, 2024)
Show Summary
On this episode, Nate is joined by philosopher and educator Zak Stein to discuss the current state of education and development for children during a time of converging crises and societal transformation. As the pace of life continues to accelerate – including world-shaking technological developments – our schools struggle to keep pace with changes in cultural expectations. What qualities are we encouraging in a system centered on competition and with no emphasis on creating agency or community participation? How is unfettered technology and artificial intelligence influencing youth – and what should parents, adults, and teachers be doing in response? What could the future of education look like if guided by true teacherly authority with the aim to create well-rounded, stable young humans with a sense of belonging and purpose in their communities?
About Zak Stein
Dr. Zak Stein is a philosopher of education, as well as a Co-founder of the Center for World Philosophy and Religion. He is also the Co-founder of Civilization Research Institute, the Consilience Project, and Lectica, Inc. He is the author of dozens of published papers and two books, including Education in a Time Between Worlds.
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Show Notes & Links to Learn More
00:00 – Zak Stein works + Info, Civilization Research Institute, Education in a Time Between Worlds, Center for World Philosophy and Religion, First Principles and First Values
03:24 – No Child Left Behind
03;56 – Joseph Tainter + TGS episode
03:53 – Iatrogenic
05:30 – Daniel Schmachtenberger (TGS Episodes), Ken Wilbur, Marc Gafney
16:01 – Effects of screens and social media on teen mental health
16:54 – Marshall McLuhan
17:20 – The importance of adult boundary and limit setting for children
18:17 – How social media affects the brain
19:06 – The rise of ADHD in the 90s and effects on education – a timeline
19:58 – Hypercompetitive primary education systems
20:20 – High level of stress and cheating in primary education
22:28 – Scandinavian school systems
26:27 – Cold war effects on the education system
26:35 – Sputnik
27:25 – Tech elites don’t give their kids tech
28:35 – Elite overproduction, Peter Turchin
34:10 – Your Unique Self
37:28 – Iain McGilchrist + TGS Episode
38:02 – Moral Relativism
43:27 – Foundations of advertising
47:07 – Negatives of standardized testing
47:22 – Donald T. Cambell – Campbell’s law
48:57 – Nature vs Nurture Debate
49:20 – Cooperation and competition
52:10 – Effects of a competitive school environment
55:02 – The effects of an above-and-beyond teacher
55:42 – Legitimate teacherly authority
59:55 – Importance of the environment in the first 5 years of life
1:02:20 – John Dewey
1:10:31 – The best way to learn is to teach
1:11:40 – David Graeber, Bullshit Jobs
1:15:25 – How standardized testing increased high education access
1:16:08 – Civilian Conservation Corp, Lawrence A. Cremin
1:17:02 – New Deal
1:22:07 – Risks around artificial intelligence
1:24:58 – Rise of relationships with AI
1:28:41 – First Chatbot ELIZA
1:30:01 – Electricity use of AI
1:37:30 – The Future of Human Nature
1:41:19 – Peak Oil
1:42:29 – Mental Health Crisis
1:46:35 – Correlation of COVID with IQ loss
Comments
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Really interesting guy. I think his idea of a massive CCC program to heal as well as educate youth is interesting and could be very effective–but largely because it would take a lot of resources, and if our government were to devote resources to that, instead of to making rich people richer and trying to maintain US hegemony, it would indicate a huge change had already occurred in US leadership…in that context, such a program could be highly successful. I like his idea of revamping schooling too.