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1、TheinternetischangingthewayyouthinkTheDifferenceEngine:RewiringthebrainAug6th2010,14:50byN.V.
2、LOSANGELESIT’Saquestionthat’sbotheredculturalcriticsfordecades:whileweknowmorethanever,arewegettingdumberasaresultoftheincreasingamountoftechnologyatourdisposal?Readinghistoricaldebate
3、s,andhearingoftheattentionpaidtothembyathoughtfulpopulace,certainlymakesonewonder.Speakinginthe1820softhemechanicalDifferenceEnginehehaddevisedforcomputingpolynomialfunctions,CharlesBabbage,thefatheroftheprogrammablecomputerandourweb-log’snamesake,toldtheHouseofCommons:Ontwoocc
4、asionsIhavebeenasked[byMembersofParliament],“Pray,MrBabbage,ifyouputintothemachinewrongfigures,willtherightanswerscomeout?”Iamnotablerightlytoapprehendthekindofconfusionofideasthatcouldprovokesuchaquestion.Incisiveeloquence—inLatinandGreekaswellastheirmothertongue—wascommonfare
5、amongGeorgiansandVictoriansluckyenoughtohavehadatleastadozenyearsofschooling.OnewondershowthefoundersofFacebook,TwitterorYouTubemightrespondtosimilarlybanalqueriestossedatthemduringcongressionaltestimony.Thecurrentdebateaboutintelligence,sparkedbyNicholasCarr’srecentandeminentl
6、yreadable“TheShallows”,askswhatistheinternetdoingtoourbrains?LikeSusanJacoby’s“TheAgeofAmericanUnreason”andAdamWiner’s“HowDumbAreYou?”earlierinthedecade,MrCarrtapsintothesenseofdespairamongAmericanintellectualsaboutthecountry’spooreducationalshowingwhencomparedwithothercountrie
7、s.Inreading,mathematicsandscience,American15-year-oldslanguishinthelowerhalfoftheOECDrankingsforthe30wealthiestcountries.OtherEnglish-speakingnationssuchasCanada,NewZealand,AustraliaandevenBritainareallintheupperquartile.SouthKoreaandJapanareinthetopdecile.Suchindisputablefacts
8、arerightlyaconcernforpolicy-makersandparentsthroughouttheUnitedStates.ButthereasonsfortheabjectfailureofAmericaneducation—especiallyatmiddle-andhigh-schoollevels—arewellunderstood,andthecorrectivemeasureswidelyaccepted.Implementingthem,however,remainsaspoliticallyintractablease
9、ver.Butitisnotjustthechagrinofseeinganation’syouthsopo