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In group #4 we disagreed on two grounds. First we disagreed about the implication of the question "If there is no truth, what are we supposed to teach our children?" What is the truth that is implicated here? We tentatively settled on "absolute truth". Now, we arrived at the postmodern idea of truth: everything is constructed. Then the question becomes that is the construction of truth also a construction? The absolutism of the assertion of the "construction of the truth" begins to show.

What should we teach children when even the idea of the construction of the truth is deconstructed? It seems hard to find grounding for anything. I don't think we need to be a cynical absolutist and say that nothing about the world can be captured meaningfully, because nothing is permanent. It is false to conclude that there is no continuity. There is dynamic continuity precisely because things and ideas are constructed and deconstructed constantly. What is standing at this moment as the truth serves as the materials for a new cycle of change.

What are we supposed to teach children then? Just let them play games. Essentially, in the constructed world what we are doing is playing games: exploring boundaries, finding detachable parts and build them into a new entity. Are there rules for this game? Not rules exactly but certainly there are limitations. The limitations are at least: what you can find as detachable units, your creativity, your interest, and stimuli. We have not yet talked about social expectations and normative behaviors. To take a grotesque example, a child might be curious about the human body and its intricate functions. He then proceeds to dissect a pedestrian on the street. Most people will find this to be morally horrifying. The game is over. So even within an extremely liberal environment there are some seemingly inviolable norms for how to play the game of construction.