As an example: my wife, who has two degrees from Cambridge - one in Natural Sciences and one in Law (in the latter of which she achieved a "good first") has taken about four years to be persuaded of the economic analysis. And even now, because Krugman et al go against her natural prejudices, she is still skeptical and looking for better disproof. (As one would, I suppose.)
Now this could be because I am very bad at explaining things, or that she has a wife's understandable disinclination to accept anything her husband says, thinks, or does as being in any way sensible: or any combination thereof. But it is an anecdote which describes perfectly the sort of problems complex narratives have when being discussed.
When educated folk can find it difficult to explain or understand, it shows why (in terms of process) certain ideas will always find greater appeal.
And despite my wife's wonderful educational credentials and her skepticism, this is one of the reasons I'm rather fascist about education. The greater the number of properly educated people, the quicker our problems will be addressed. IMHO it is pretty much just about numbers and critical mass. (And this in itself is one of the reasons I love the internet - certainly one will find mountains of information confirming ones own opinions; nevertheless, I think, over time, that the internet will prove the greatest educator of humanity there will be.)
As an example: my wife, who has two degrees from Cambridge - one in Natural Sciences and one in Law (in the latter of which she achieved a "good first") has taken about four years to be persuaded of the economic analysis. And even now, because Krugman et al go against her natural prejudices, she is still skeptical and looking for better disproof. (As one would, I suppose.)
Now this could be because I am very bad at explaining things, or that she has a wife's understandable disinclination to accept anything her husband says, thinks, or does as being in any way sensible: or any combination thereof. But it is an anecdote which describes perfectly the sort of problems complex narratives have when being discussed.
When educated folk can find it difficult to explain or understand, it shows why (in terms of process) certain ideas will always find greater appeal.
And despite my wife's wonderful educational credentials and her skepticism, this is one of the reasons I'm rather fascist about education. The greater the number of properly educated people, the quicker our problems will be addressed. IMHO it is pretty much just about numbers and critical mass. (And this in itself is one of the reasons I love the internet - certainly one will find mountains of information confirming ones own opinions; nevertheless, I think, over time, that the internet will prove the greatest educator of humanity there will be.)
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