That comparison is very impressive in its accuracy. It also clearly illustrates, for me, the massive critical failure of modern educational institutions to optimize for learning. Grammar is basically the very first thing a kid has to learn when entering school. Philosophy and rationality are barely even considered remotely approachable until far, far later, usually at a bachelors’ level, if ever. Traditional view, even among philosophy and humanities teachers, seems to be that even basic rationality is “way too complex” for a child to learn.
Anecdotal evidence: My personal experiment, with my younger sister, seems to demonstrate that younger minds are even better at learning and internalizing rationality.
Anyway, to come back from that tangeant, I’ll reiterate that I like the comparison between rationality and grammar. I also really hope good formal training regimens for rationality can be made in the very near future, be that through comparing with best available grammar training and martial arts training and QA/troubleshooting methods or through other means.
There are two different things commonly called “grammar”.
One of them is the structure of one’s native language, which one needs in order to communicate. This is learned well before school. It is how you know to say “I want an apple, please” and not “Apple a please want I.” Learning this sort of grammar is instinctive and unavoidable; you can’t not learn it, if you’re a little kid exposed to language users (spoken or signed) at all. And yes, it is complex — but we also have “designed-in” abilities to learn it.
The other thing called “grammar” is a collection of rules for a high-status register of one’s native language, which one needs in order to sound “educated” rather than “ignorant”. The meta-rule behind these rules is “Find ways to avoid speaking like a member of the underclass.” It is how you know to say “I’d like to ask you a question” and not “I wanna aks you a question, yo.” There is nothing about a high-status register of language that makes it any more capable of accurately representing the world than a low-status register. Truth can be represented in the speech of South Central L.A. just as well as it can be represented in a Harvard accent.
Grammar as a collection of rules is taught from a very young age, and is merely for signalling and more easily avoiding ambiguous statements in specific contexts. It is also very complex, and extremely hard to acquire and master—which is exactly why, I’ve been told, it’s taught starting at a very young age and all throughout compulsory education, and often well into higher education institutions.
Rationality is taught once you’ve already learned, mostly the wrong way, all they think anyone needs to know, and it merely serves to improve almost every aspect of personal thought, beliefs and decisions, as well as improve all learning done afterwards. It is also very complex, and extremely hard to acquire and master—which is exactly why, I’ve been told, it’s taught starting very late in any curriculum, and almost never before you’ve already made it past compulsory education, and often well into higher education institutions.
That comparison is very impressive in its accuracy. It also clearly illustrates, for me, the massive critical failure of modern educational institutions to optimize for learning. Grammar is basically the very first thing a kid has to learn when entering school. Philosophy and rationality are barely even considered remotely approachable until far, far later, usually at a bachelors’ level, if ever. Traditional view, even among philosophy and humanities teachers, seems to be that even basic rationality is “way too complex” for a child to learn.
Anecdotal evidence: My personal experiment, with my younger sister, seems to demonstrate that younger minds are even better at learning and internalizing rationality.
Anyway, to come back from that tangeant, I’ll reiterate that I like the comparison between rationality and grammar. I also really hope good formal training regimens for rationality can be made in the very near future, be that through comparing with best available grammar training and martial arts training and QA/troubleshooting methods or through other means.
There are two different things commonly called “grammar”.
One of them is the structure of one’s native language, which one needs in order to communicate. This is learned well before school. It is how you know to say “I want an apple, please” and not “Apple a please want I.” Learning this sort of grammar is instinctive and unavoidable; you can’t not learn it, if you’re a little kid exposed to language users (spoken or signed) at all. And yes, it is complex — but we also have “designed-in” abilities to learn it.
The other thing called “grammar” is a collection of rules for a high-status register of one’s native language, which one needs in order to sound “educated” rather than “ignorant”. The meta-rule behind these rules is “Find ways to avoid speaking like a member of the underclass.” It is how you know to say “I’d like to ask you a question” and not “I wanna aks you a question, yo.” There is nothing about a high-status register of language that makes it any more capable of accurately representing the world than a low-status register. Truth can be represented in the speech of South Central L.A. just as well as it can be represented in a Harvard accent.
Yes. It illustrates, not proves.
Compare:
Grammar as a collection of rules is taught from a very young age, and is merely for signalling and more easily avoiding ambiguous statements in specific contexts. It is also very complex, and extremely hard to acquire and master—which is exactly why, I’ve been told, it’s taught starting at a very young age and all throughout compulsory education, and often well into higher education institutions.
Rationality is taught once you’ve already learned, mostly the wrong way, all they think anyone needs to know, and it merely serves to improve almost every aspect of personal thought, beliefs and decisions, as well as improve all learning done afterwards. It is also very complex, and extremely hard to acquire and master—which is exactly why, I’ve been told, it’s taught starting very late in any curriculum, and almost never before you’ve already made it past compulsory education, and often well into higher education institutions.