Things I Ask

Most people do not care much about scores after high school, and even if the topic comes up, I have found that many top scorers (understandably) have a tendency to refrain from speaking too much on it. This is not helpful for younger students who need genuine advice. Here is my experience . My real experience, not a you can do it too  success story. When I started, I had no idea where to start. I was a sophomore in high school, and all my Asian friends were studying for the SAT in hagwons . I had never been to a hagwon . The y told me these hagwons provide information on everything about the test, such as when and where to take it, the best times to take it, the best times to prepare for it, and most importantly, how to prepare for it. Very little effort was needed to convince my parents that I wanted to enroll for the summer. Come summer vacation. I took five weeks of classes in June and July, Monday to Friday, from 7 a.m. to noon. Basically it was around 2 hours of Reading

The problem with studies conducted by gathering opinions is that the measurement system is inherently flawed. Before examining the flaws, take a quick look at a sample Big Five personality test: http://personality-testing.info/printable/big-five-personality-test.pdf This test uses what social scientists call the "Likert scale". Usually, 4 or 5 choices are available, where each choice represents the feelings of the survey taker. The scale should be familiar, though its name might not be. By Nicholas Smithvectorization: Own work - Own work, based on File:Example Likert Scale.jpg Likert scales are useful for simple surveys designed to summarize the general opinion of the public. The problem starts when social scientists try to use Likert scales to conduct statistical research. Obviously, the Likert scale is limited by human irrationality. R espondents might avoid the extremes. They might respond in ways that make themselves look good. They might choose an extreme opin

This graph regularly comes up in introductory Economics textbooks. source: Wikipedia The idea is to divide the economic agent's 24 hour day into time spent on leisure and time spent on work. The assumption that most textbooks make here is that leisure is simply "achieved". This is true for some forms of leisure, such as sitting. But sometimes, it takes hard work to play hard. Fencing, chess, music, snowboarding . . . all the best forms of leisure require introductory lessons and hours of practice. Of course, it could be argued that preparation is an entertainment in its own right. But hardly anyone will not feel disappointed when they do not get to take part in an activity after all the preparation. Thus preparation is fundamentally different from leisure. Neither is it labor, for it does not generate income. The most rudimentary forms of leisure (such as sitting on the floor) are simply achieved without preparation. Higher forms of leisure require preparation

Does reincarnation maintain the number of organisms living in the world? Suppose there is a world where there are only three living organisms, and they are reincarnated when they die. What happens when one is about to die? If the remaining two reproduce sexually, will they forced to procreate as the third one dies, thereby maintaining the number of organisms in that world? What if two individuals die at once? Would single celled organisms naturally evolve out of protein? Perhaps the number of living organisms and souls is not strictly maintained. This would explain the exponential growth and decay of populations. But if everything is reincarnated, how would this be possible? Where would new life come from?

Rules are great. They provide justice, order, and stability. But must they always be followed? If not (and one would think not), which  rules can be broken, and when? The Sufficient Conditions for Rule Breaking But what about rules that do make sense—ones that serve a good, clear purpose? When can they be broken? It is not possible to consider every possible scenario regarding each rule, so here is a "Rule for Breaking Rules": When the purpose of the rule is understood, and when breaking that rule does not go against its purpose, the rule can be broken . Here are some examples worth considering. Jaywalking The main purpose of traffic lights and other traffic laws is safety. Jaywalking is morally acceptable when a pedestrian, on an empty street, for instance, correctly judges that it is safe enough to cross. In undeveloped Chinese cities, traffic lights are ignored, so attention must be paid more to oncoming vehicles than to the traffic lights. Waiting