Episode 102 welcomes back Jim Carigan to the podcast for a chat with Skyler. Topics include: schooling, firearm ownership, gun control, class warfare, books on tyranny, lifelong learning, IRL philosophy discussion groups, political partitioning, the future of humanity, visiting Ireland, Acadia/cajuns, and more.
Tag: learning
The Freedom to Quit
The freedom to quit is an essential aspect of an unschooling lifestyle. Frankly, I think a four-year-old should be able to quit anything, whether he’s unschooled or not. That’s about gentle parenting, not any education philosophy. But for unschooling, the freedom to quit–as long as that freedom does not negatively impact someone else–is a vital part of Self-Directed Education. We should connect our children to resources in their wider world, expose them to new and different opportunities, and be very clear about participation policies when signing up for things so we have the freedom to quit.
Kindle the Flame of Voluntaryism with Patience (7m) – Peaceful Anarchism 032
Peaceful Anarchism 031, “In order to teach this philosophy to the ignorant one must follow a specific progression of ideas to ensure success. Burdening a child with excessively complex concepts will snuff out the love of learning. Not presenting the child with ever increasing challenges will bore the child.”
Is Education Worth It? My Opening Statement
Is the education system really a waste of time and money, as my new book claims right on the cover? This is a strange topic to debate with Eric Hanushek. Why? Because if Hanushek had absolute power to fix the education system, education might actually be worth every penny. Hanushek is famous for focusing on what schools teach rather than what they spend – and documenting the vast disconnect between the two. If you haven’t already read his dissection of “input-based education policies,” you really ought to. Hanushek, more than any other economist, has taught us that measured literacy and numeracy are socially valuable – but just making kids spend long years in well-funded schools is not.
Don’t Blame the Guns, Blame the Schools
Today’s public schools already share many characteristics with prisons, yet the ‘answer’ some folks are proposing to the (statistically negligible) threat of school shootings is to make schools even more like prisons. Schools are an artificial environment that (much like a prison) forces kids to join gangs or cliques in order to avoid rejection and outsider status. Those who don’t fit in are subject to ridicule, abuse, and even brutality in some cases.
For Preventing Abuse, Public Schools Are Not a Good Model for Homeschooling
Horrific crimes and violent acts tug at our collective heartstrings. When other humans are harmed, we rightfully feel empathy and anger. We should use these moments as opportunities for reflection and conversation, but we should be careful to not make policy based on emotion. Some are using the egregious case of alleged child abuse by a California family charged with starving and torturing their children in a so-called private school to call for greater regulation of all homeschooling families.
It’s Not The Advice, It’s How You Apply It
In your efforts to study “the success secrets of the rich and famous,” don’t forget the following: every good conceptual tool has a context within which it is harmful or unwise to use.
My Evil Self
In the past I did things I now consider evil. Things which violate my values, principles, and ethics– or at least the ones I have now. Some of those things I even considered evil when I did them, yet I did them anyway. What’s up with that?
You’ll Have to Relearn Most Life Lessons
There are about as many life lessons out there as there are lives (and opportunities to screw them up). But there is one lesson that is common enough to all of them.
Learning is Like Showering: Don’t Stop Doing It
Pursue knowledge in the same way you brush your teeth or change your clothes. Instead of taking pride in how much you’ve done it in the past, try to remember how much you’re going to stink if you don’t keep doing it regularly.