Comment on Dear Dr. Nelson, by A. Nelson

You are most welcome, dear Najla! There’s so much in that last sentence…I will be thinking about your carefully chosen qualities of “meaningful learning” for a long time. Thank you for that, and for all you did to create and build the community that nourished our learning this semester. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with this group!

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Comment on Have I lost my empathy? by A. Nelson

What an important and powerful reminder, Akin. We humans are a diverse and interesting lot. Appreciating that fact by recognizing the validity of different perspectives and experiences keeps us humble as individuals and helps cultivate the compassion and empathy we badly need if we are going to get this broken world to a better place. Thank you for this.

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Comment on Is value-free knowledge such a bad thing? by A. Nelson

Oh…I could type a lot about this, but I’ll try to save something for class. First of all, thanks very much for not deleting the opening rant, especially the phrase “saddle-bred pineapple.”
What is that?!?!?!?
Seriously, I think there’s lots of room for reflection and re-evaluation between your (Aaron’s) pointed lament about the futility of idealism (because you’ll never get there) and Krystalyn’s very self-aware and pragmatic assessment of the challenges of adjusting the framework when one is a product of and working within the system.
On the social science / objectivity issue: Yes, of course you strive for objectivity. You triangulate, develop deep samples, try to account for bias, deploy all of the tools in the kit that are designed to make what we do “scientific.” But objectivity is just as illusory as the ideal is. “Science” inevitably reflects and exercises the perspectives (qualitative, interpretive, humanistic, personal…..pick an adjective any adjective….) of the PEOPLE practicing it. We don’t use science we make it. And it shows. Thank goodness.
I hear your concern, but can’t embrace the despair — and honestly, (not to be agist about this) you are too young to despair! Self awareness, humility, compassion, expertise and commitment — it’s all we’ve got, but it’s a lot. The 21st century needs you — emotions and all.

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Comment on Ph.D. earns more than Bachelor. Does it mean education improve your ability?   by A. Nelson

I concur with Ashish, but would note that salary is definitely ONE measure of the value of a degree. But only one. And even that is a moving target. Certain degrees from certain institutions might correlate to high starting salaries, but 10 or 15 years out, the picture might look quite different. And surprisingly (in this STEM obsessed world), longitudinal studies indicate that holders of less “practical” degrees often make more over their lifetime earnings than others, even if they start at a lower pay level.
I do appreciate the kind of “nuts and bolts” perspective on “value” invoked here — it is an important tool. But I would argue that it is useful mainly as a heuristic device – one that invites triangulation and contextualization with other equally valid indicators of “value.”

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