Dec 6 2011: It's democratic certainly, at least in the West. I have never heard of censorship on the internet in the West, and the kind that does exist is self inflicted- there are other search engines out there, and one doesn't have to use Facebook.
I'm going to have to agree with Aldous here- it's our lack of interest that cripples a democratic internet.
Dec 6 2011: 100 years ago, the industrial model of school worked, and it worked for a reason- the work that the average student could expect, ( if they pursued their schooling) was monotonous and, if not simple, at the least, consistent. In our modern world, life happens at a different pace, and what you do at work isn't necessarily going to be the same thing every day. Indeed, even the concept of reliable employment looks like a shaky prospect right now. That being said, what graduates need, is a broad based education which focuses on the individual. If you teach a man how to think rationally, how to understand the world around him, he has a much better chance to succeed than if you teach a man how to solve a particular set of problems- all conveniently broken into different classes, punctuated by the ringing of a school bell.
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A comment on Conversation: Is the current direction of the web Democratic?
I'm going to have to agree with Aldous here- it's our lack of interest that cripples a democratic internet.
A comment on Conversation: In your opinion, what should the purpose of education be?