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Lies We Tell Kids

paulgraham.com

281–290 of 433 posts

Re: Lies We Tell Kids

#281

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting. So I wonder if exceptions are the programming language analogue of swearing?

Now that is insightful. I think you're saying that, when a program gets into an unstable state of stress and confusion, it throws exceptions... and vice versa . I could buy that.

Python swears a lot.

Re: Lies We Tell Kids

#283
I was not lied to in this fashion. I was raised a Quaker, and we don't lie.

My parents told me about sex, prostitutes and drugs from a young age (5?). They told me sex and drugs were fun, but even better for your soul if you waited for the right person in life.

Having only had a sexual relationship with my wife, I can't say if this is true, but it certainly feels true. At any rate, because of their honesty I didn't feel like the world conspired against me, instead I felt that it trusted me and relied upon me to make correct decisions.

Paul - I'm surprised at you to put this model forward as the correct model. Why can't we create children better able to make their own judgements by being more honest and asking more of them?

Another complaint: people may move out of the city because they hate the city. I would prefer to live in the woods (and I grew up there). I never felt it was stale, I never felt trapped or bored. Working in NYC now, I am counting the hours until I can move back to somewhere beautiful.

Re: Lies We Tell Kids

#285
post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is falsifiable if you can find a single non falsifiable thing that would be useful / treated as true.

"Life has meaning."

Actually, this doesn't fit here, because "useful" implies "for a goal", and if there's no ultimate goal to life, then nothing is useful. So "life has meaning" is just another example of something that is only useful if true. Ah, well.

Re: Lies We Tell Kids

#286

I think the statement "as a rule people planning to go into teaching rank academically near the bottom of the college population" should really have a source to back it up.

See for example http://www.ncsu.edu/chass/philo/GRE%20Scores%20by%20Intended...

teachers seem solidly in the middle for the three groups.

This brings up something interesting, as a group, we like to think of ourselves as above average when compared to other disciplines, but Computer & Info. Sciences was comparable to Education. Consider that in many states, ALL teachers must go to graduate school, so many more of them are taking the GRE than Computer & Info. Sciences.

I suppose most schools with Computer Science grad programs probably also have a lite Information Science/Business program that would drag our scores down significantly. I know mine did.

Re: Lies We Tell Kids

#287
There is a kind of lie used to spark off the child's imagination like the Santa Claus or fairies or ghosts. I don't think those are covered in this article. But these can help a child to visualize things those don't exist which is the very first step to create things those don't exist (as of now) when they grow up.

Re: Lies We Tell Kids

#288
post #222

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find it funny, if also a bit sad, how strongly certain societal groups try to spin Einstein's views about religion decades after his death. For insight, I offer a bit more of his text around that tiny little quote that is so often used out of context. " The situation may be expressed by an image: science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind. Though I have asserted above that in truth a legiti…

"I find it funny, if also a bit sad" "certain societal groups try to spin" "tiny little quote that is so often used out of context" "This brings us back to the issue of lies" "so often used to state" "completely eviscerates" "Obviously, someone here has told a lie" "Was it you" "one who first told you" "lessen your trust in the truthfulness" "Will you now be going around correcting" My nominee for "Bait of the Year".…

I admit it, I just couldn't resist. The parent was a better bait, however, far more subtle. I'm not very good at this.

Still, as far as I know, I didn't actually lie, I just wrote the truth like a jackass. How do you classify that?

Re: Lies We Tell Kids

#290
"if it's inborn it should be universal"

Yeah -- just like lactose tolerance. Right.

This is genetic, and it's one of those things that differs by genetic ancestry. As Sir Richard Burton once said (paraphrasing here), polygamy versus monogamy is pretty much an affair of climate (and what climate your ancestors contended with).

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