Is America Falling Off the Flat Earth? (2007) / Chapter Skim
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THE DINOSAURS NEVER SAW IT COMING
THE DINOSAURS NEVER SAW IT COMING
Pages 22-25
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From page 22... ...
Other countries outrank and outperform us." America's academic institutions nonetheless have a culture that encourages innovative thinking and the free exchange of ideas, and our society, even with its shortcomings, is virtually unparalleled in its ability to absorb motivated, contributing people from around the world. Perhaps most important, we enjoy the benefits of a stable government and an economic system that encourages risk-taking and, left to itself, vigorously filters out noncompetitive firms and industries in favor of the growth firms and industries of tomorrow.
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From page 23... ...
Ironically, the nations that are emerging as our most serious competitors are doing so in large part by adopting the best of our institutional practices and often executing them better than we. In America, we are to a considerable degree living off past investments, the comparatively strong position the nation held at the end of World War II, and the prevalence of English as the predominant language of business, government, and technical education.
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From page 24... ...
The reason for the disparity is the hierarchic nature of an education in mathematics that serves as the foundation of science and engineering. One cannot usefully study trigonometry until one has mastered algebra (only 13 states currently require algebra II for a high-school diploma .
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From page 25... ...
Studies of the frequency of citations of scientific and technical articles suggest a half-life of such information, depending on the field, of about 3 to 6 years. Similarly, studies of the course content in university catalogs and qualitative surveys of science and engineering professionals indicate that, absent continued learning, the professional value of the specific knowledge imparted through their formal studies becomes negligible in about 5 years.
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