I came across an advertisement today from an established, well-respected shoe company. It announces the 'Asics training collection'. The ad doesn't really show what the shoes look like. and it doesn't really matter. The point is that the company is designing shoes for a market that CrossFit (and CrossFit-type movements) makes possible.
The ad is linked to a site that proclaims 'what's next' for Asics fitness (of course, it's a look in the rear-view mirror for regular CrossFitters), and has a pic of a guy with a prosthetic leg using the kind of 20 lb. medicine ball popularized by CrossFit.
And that's a good thing.
I've long been frustrated by the lack of citations in educational literature for Michael Oakeshott and Richard Flathman who offer clear-headed writing on the theory and practice of the engagement of teaching and learning.
Just as frustrating is the relative lack of influence Munger's thinking has had on educational thought and practice. Many (even many academics) would agree with his diagnosis that the academic disconnectedness is the worst plague higher education faces. It's a topic that gets a lot of lip service in academic circles. But almost no one would adopt anything close to Munger's multidisciplinary 'latticework of mental models' approach to addressing that plague.
And that's a shame.
Because his system works. Just like CrossFit works. Perhaps Munger's models need an evangelist (strange that he's not enough, given that he and his partner Warren Buffett regularly draw thousands to hear them talk, an audience Munger often remarks is full of cultists!). Maybe it's because the people devoted to implementing the kind of system he suggests would rather spend their time making money and investing in the stock market than changing educational practice.
But the opportunity is there. As Munger argues, “There will be immense worldly rewards, for law schools and other academic domains, as for Charlie Munger, in a more multidisciplinary approach to many problems…and more fun as well as more achievement.”
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| Asics shoes, CrossFit movement. |
The ad is linked to a site that proclaims 'what's next' for Asics fitness (of course, it's a look in the rear-view mirror for regular CrossFitters), and has a pic of a guy with a prosthetic leg using the kind of 20 lb. medicine ball popularized by CrossFit.
And that's a good thing.
I've long been frustrated by the lack of citations in educational literature for Michael Oakeshott and Richard Flathman who offer clear-headed writing on the theory and practice of the engagement of teaching and learning.
Just as frustrating is the relative lack of influence Munger's thinking has had on educational thought and practice. Many (even many academics) would agree with his diagnosis that the academic disconnectedness is the worst plague higher education faces. It's a topic that gets a lot of lip service in academic circles. But almost no one would adopt anything close to Munger's multidisciplinary 'latticework of mental models' approach to addressing that plague.
And that's a shame.
Because his system works. Just like CrossFit works. Perhaps Munger's models need an evangelist (strange that he's not enough, given that he and his partner Warren Buffett regularly draw thousands to hear them talk, an audience Munger often remarks is full of cultists!). Maybe it's because the people devoted to implementing the kind of system he suggests would rather spend their time making money and investing in the stock market than changing educational practice.
But the opportunity is there. As Munger argues, “There will be immense worldly rewards, for law schools and other academic domains, as for Charlie Munger, in a more multidisciplinary approach to many problems…and more fun as well as more achievement.”
I look forward to the day when I come across ads for education companies that mimic Munger's mental models. Because that will mean that someone, somewhere has implemented his ideas.
Greg Glassman with a reason for optimism: "Suppressing truth is like holding a beach ball under water; it takes constant work against a tireless resistance."
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