Bruce Makoto Arnold, PhD
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The Problem With Observations

1/17/2014

0 Comments

 
An interesting article that points out the same message I try to get across to students: relying on observation as to what is "normal" or "abnormal," while valid for many things (e.g. blood spilling out of your forehead because you decided to be a macho and not wear a helmet while wrestling bears), might not give us a really good idea about the true nature of temporal patterns. We often think of ourselves as having "seen a lot" in our days, but frankly, we live for very fractional amounts of time. We fall into a few biases including negativity bias and the end of history bias that really skew our "observations" and our interpretations thereof.

I'm not evaluating the article's scientific merits, however, I believe the author is wholly correct when he points out that "the worst," "the most unusual," etc. are limited, prejudiced, and exceptionally biased temporal observations that have very, very, very little to do with actual history.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/seanthomas/100254179/what-if-man-made-climate-change-is-all-in-the-mind/
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Children Today Too Coddled?

1/14/2014

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http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/24/opinion/sunday/bruni-are-kids-too-coddled.html?_r=5&
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    Article Blog

    From time-to-time I find interesting articles about the state of universities, the field of history, etc. I'll post them here just in case anyone else is interested.

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© COPYRIGHT 2017 Bruce Makoto Arnold
  • Profile
    • Home
    • About
    • CV >
      • Education
      • Publications
      • Scholarly Interests
      • Courses Offered
      • Digital Humanities
    • Cheers and Jeers >
      • In Writing
      • Thanks-in-Gifts
      • Cheers in Cheesecake!
    • Miscellany >
      • Self-Aggrandizement
      • My Hosts File
  • Current, Prospective, and Former Students
    • Current Students >
      • Frequently Asked Quesitons
      • Can You Help Me Proof My Essay?
      • Materials from Previous Classes >
        • U.S. History to 1877
        • U.S. History From 1877
        • History of Childhood
        • History of Modern [U.S.] Education
        • Asian American History
      • Student Wiki
      • How-To Documents and Videos
    • Prospective Students >
      • Undergraduate
      • Graduate
      • Can I Study With You via Distance Education?
      • Grades Given in the Past
    • Former Students
  • Publications
    • Books
    • Articles and Book Chapters
    • Dissertation and Theses
    • Grey Matter (Presentations, etc)
    • Online Projects
  • Contact