In this session, we read passages from "Utopia or Oblivion", pages 32 and 33 about specialisation and how if we continue this way, will make us all professional idiots.
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In these pages, Bucky mentioned about the centralisation of schools which is a reversal of historical practice. There was also a surprising pattern of specialisation in education.
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He mentioned about Harvard University's School of Business, which takes in the brightest brains in the country and at that time (don't know about now) put their students in various specialisations.
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In Bucky's view, these graduates used their energies for linear acceleration to get away. Getting away from the other questions in other specialisations and other specialists. They resulted in being remote from one another like heavenly stars - bright, but far apart. They can't communicate with each other and cannot integrate their findings to the comprehensive needs of society.
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Isn't it common to hear conversations like this, "... If you ask me to read balance sheets and accounts, I am fully comfortable, but computers... argh... I won't understand anything about them." In this conversation, this accounting specialist deliberately stay away from anything about computers when talking to the IT specialist. The IT specialist is also commonly known to be so cocooned in their left brain logic that they are unable to articulate their thoughts to the user and understand business needs.
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And since these 'bright ones' cannot integrate these specialist knowledge, the job for integration are left to the other remaining individuals - who are likely to be the duller ones - who turned up to be our leaders and politicians.
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On that mentioned, a few of us spontaneously agreed that it is different for the case of Singapore. That we are ruled by specialists or technocrats. Nevertheless, the gap between their specialist minds and society still exist. Again, we all agreed spontaneously. Perhaps it is still better than being ruled by dull brains.
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Ultimately, Bucky believed that overspecialisation will lead to extinction. Personally, I think specialisation is only for insects!
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After the discussion, whilst in the car heading for breakfast (this is the last item in every Bucky Group meetings), I wondered if there is a Bucky University around. There is a Buckminster Fuller Institute, but do they confer degrees? If they do, I guess it will be very tough to get through and pass, as the graduate would have to understand all the Generalised Principles and apply them to his profession. In other words, he will become a Comprehensivist, since Bucky believes that there is only one system in the Universe despite the compartmentalisation of parts of the System into different subjects, merely by the human intellect.
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Health Warning :)
We had a sumptous breakfast at our favourite Upper Bukit Timah's Roti Prata joint. I had an egg and kosong prata, PLUS a mee rebus, flushed down with spikey Teh Halia. Chao Loy was worse, he was already asking for people for dinner with him before we finished breakfast!!!!!
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2 comments:
Interesting post. A little long though..
Actually, this is one of the short ones. :)
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