November 23, 2015 - 17:01
I believe there are some interesting contradictions in Bowers's article. He bemoans the "loss of intergenerational knowledge," but he also talks about the problem of the "colonization of the present by the past." These are not quite contradictory, as the first implies interaction between generations in the development of knowledge, while the latter implies domination of present generations by those before, but I believe Bowers does not make a strong enough distinction between them.
I am also interested in Bowers's opposition to the emphasis on individual thinking. I see this trend in schools as a way to break our dependence on the thinkers of the past. I do see how it can be problematic, if we believe that we have all the answers and that no one else's opinion is valid, but I still believe some independent thinking is important.
Finally, I am a little confused as to how the shorter articles relate to Bowers's. I suppose there is a connection because these articles are talking about how our bodies interact with other organisms constantly, but it seems to me that there is too much focus on this, since Bowers seems to be looking at a much broader picture.