"Experts, the World, and the Church" by James Kalb at Catholic World Report
Mar 10, 2022
"We live in the Age of the Expert. There are reasons for that. We mostly work for big organizations now, and all aspects of our lives depend on them. Big organizations have their own way of doing things: explicit rules, formalized procedures, extreme division of labor, and so on. That means an emphasis on specialized formal qualifications. The organization is a big machine, and we are its components. From pre-K through postgrad that’s how we are trained. The training sinks in, and eventually defines how we see the world. It results in a general sense that everything requires special qualifications. Older people today say younger people lack everyday skills, but the problem is far deeper. The most basic human activities are now thought beyond the capacity of ordinary people."
Experts, the World, and the Church by James Kalb at Catholic World Report. We live in the Age of the Expert. There are reasons for that. We mostly work for big organizations now, and all aspects of our lives depend on them. Big organizations have their own way of doing things: explicit rules, formalized procedures, extreme division of labor, and so on. That means an emphasis on specialized formal qualifications. The organization is a big machine, and we are its components. From pre-K through postgrad that’s how we are trained. The training sinks in, and eventually defines how we see the world. It results in a general sense that everything requires special qualifications. Older people today say younger people lack everyday skills, but the problem is far deeper. The most basic human activities are now thought beyond the capacity of ordinary people. Read Bishop Thomas Daly: 'School Choice Is Coming to America' by Joan Frawley Desmond and Andrea Picciotti-Bayer at National Catholic Register. Bishop Thomas Daly of Spokane, Washington, says, ‘We need as many kids in Catholic schools as possible’— but they have to teach the faith. Read Listen New History of the Jesuits is a Readable and Detailed Magnum Opus by Fr. Cornelius Michael Buckley, S.J. at Catholic World Report. Markus Friedrich invites the reader to appreciate why the Jesuits have been the objects of both admiration and animosity, and to appreciate how, from the earliest members up to Pope Francis, Jesuits have adapted themselves to fit into the border lines of history. Read
Throwback Video
From Greeks to Geeks: The Classical Liberal Arts as the Best Foundation for STEM by Mike Ortner at the National Catholic Classical Schools Conference by the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education on July 25, 2018. A classical upbringing may be the most effective in raising high character individuals. Because so much of what set [our company's high-performing interns] apart was character. Their work ethic: they came to work in order to actually get stuff done. Their humility: they had no problem asking questions in order to clarify. Their curiosity: they asked lots of ‘why’ questions. Their honesty: they only wanted to get paid for hours of actual work conducted. I could go on. These traits may seem so basic, but they are not common. At least not in the general workforce. Watch