Zak Stein: "Values, Education, AI and the Metacrisis”

On this episode, Nate is joined by philosopher and educator Zak Stein to discuss the current state of education and development for children during a time of converging crises and societal transformation. As the pace of life continues to accelerate - including world-shaking technological developments - our schools struggle to keep pace with changes in cultural expectations. What qualities are we encouraging in a system centered on competition and with no emphasis on creating agency or community participation? How is unfettered technology and artificial intelligence influencing youth - and what should parents, adults, and teachers be doing in response? What could the future of education look like if guided by true teacherly authority with the aim to create well-rounded, stable young humans with a sense of belonging and purpose in their communities? 

About Zak Stein: 

Dr. Zak Stein is a philosopher of education, as well as a Co-founder of the Center for World Philosophy and Religion. He is also the Co-founder of Civilization Research Institute, the Consilience Project, and Lectica, Inc. He is the author of dozens of published papers and two books, including Education in a Time Between Worlds. 

PDF Transcript

Show Notes

00:00 - Zak Stein works + Info, Civilization Research Institute, Education in a Time Between Worlds, Center for World Philosophy and Religion, First Principles and First Values 

03:24 - No Child Left Behind

03:56 - Joseph Tainter + TGS episode

03:53 - Iatrogenic 

05:30 - Daniel Schmachtenberger (TGS Episodes), Ken Wilbur, Marc Gafney

16:01 - Effects of screens and social media on teen mental health

16:54 - Marshall McLuhan

17:20 - The importance of adult boundary and limit setting for children

18:17 - How social media affects the brain

19:06 - The rise of ADHD in the 90s and effects on education - a timeline

19:58 - Hypercompetitive primary education systems

20:20 - High level of stress and cheating in primary education

22:28 - Scandinavian school systems

26:27 - Cold war effects on the education system

26:35 - Sputnik

27:25 - Tech elites don’t give their kids tech

28:35 - Elite overproduction, Peter Turchin

34:10 - Your Unique Self 

37:28 - Iain McGilchrist + TGS Episode

38:02 - Moral Relativism

43:27 - Foundations of advertising 

47:07 - Negatives of standardized testing

47:22 - Donald T. Cambell - Campbell’s law

48:57 - Nature vs Nurture Debate

49:20 - Cooperation and competition

52:10 - Effects of a competitive school environment

55:02 - The effects of an above-and-beyond teacher

55:42 - Legitimate teacherly authority

59:55 - Importance of the environment in the first 5 years of life

1:02:20 - John Dewey

1:10:31 - The best way to learn is to teach

1:11:40 - David Graeber, Bullshit Jobs

1:15:25 - How standardized testing increased high education access

1:16:08 - Civilian Conservation Corp, Lawrence A. Cremin

1:17:02 - New Deal

1:22:07 - Risks around artificial intelligence

1:24:58 - Rise of relationships with AI

1:28:41 - First Chatbot ELIZA

1:30:01 - Electricity use of AI

1:37:30 - The Future of Human Nature

1:41:19 - Peak Oil

1:42:29 - Mental Health Crisis

1:46:35 - Correlation of COVID with IQ loss

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