The key to change

The key to why things change, is the key to everything: How easy is it for knowledge to spread?
And that, in the past, the people who made change happen, were the people who had that knowledge, whether they were craftsmen or kings. Today, the people who make things change are the scientists and the technologists who are the true driving force of humanity and before you say "What about the Beethovens and the Michaelangelos?", let me suggest something with which you may disagree violently, that at best the products of human emotion: art, philosophy, politics, music, literature are interpretations of the world. They tell you more about the guy who's talking, than the world he is talking about. Second hand views of the world, made third hand by your interpretation of them.

- Connections, James Burke

Burke's seminal 70's series "Connections" certainly looks dated but his central lessons are more relevant than ever:
- History is not linear,
- technology is the trigger for change and the real force behind world history.
- Everyone has an ability inside them to understand everything, if it is explained properly.

But that's not how we are taught. We are taught the opposite of all these things.

We are taught that history comes from the actions of key people, Hitler, Stalin, Reagan, Mao. We are taught that inventors are hard working individuals, Thomas Edison, Jethro Tull, James Watt.
We are taught that there are no wrong answers and that interpretations are more important than facts.

It should be no surprise that Ireland has fallen to the bottom of the PISA league tables of Mathematics and Science. Children are allowed to think that some things are too hard for them.
Worse, we put a premium on arts, law, finance. Engineering and Science are a long way down the list. In education, inclusivity is in vogue, competition is a dirty word. Artists are given tax exemption.