India in the Multipolar World (Quote of the Week)

 "Quote of the Week" is leisure reading in the assignment reminder email to my students.

***

"The relationship is therefore a test case for the messy alliance of democracies emerging in a multipolar world."

Joe Biden and Narendra Modi are drawing their countries closer

Leaders: The Economist. Jun 15th 2023

https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/06/15/joe-biden-and-narendra-modi-are-drawing-their-countries-closer

***

India is set to play a critical role in shaping the world's multipolar future. Its large population, high-standard higher education system, and abundance of English speakers mean it will significantly impact the global economy. However, India's values do not perfectly align with Western ones. While it is a democratic nation, some describe it as an "illiberal" democracy, as the article above does.

India's relationship with the United States will probably have far-reaching effects on global politics, as the article indicates, for it may establish stronger connections with Russia or China, if it fails.

Simultaneously, Indian English is becoming more prominent in English language teaching. We're moving past the times when it was okay to make fun of its accent. Meet an intelligent Indian English speaker below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU-zhajzad4

The Wisdom of Humanities in the Age of Technology (Quote of the Week)

 

"Quote of the Week" is leisure reading in the assignment reminder email to my students.

***

"There is no time in our history in which the humanities, philosophy, ethics and art are more urgently necessary than in this time of technology's triumph," said Leon Wieseltier, the editor of Liberties, a humanistic journal. "Because we need to be able to think in nontechnological terms if we're going to figure out the good and the evil in all the technological innovations. Given society's craven worship of technology, are we going to trust the engineers and the capitalists to tell us what is right and wrong?"

Don't Kill 'Frankenstein' With Real Frankensteins at Large

May 27, 2023

By Maureen Dowd

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/27/opinion/english-humanities-ai.html

***

Many computer scientists utilize the Shoggoth, a fictitious octopus-like creature, to illustrate the bizarre traits of generative AI. [1]  I draw a parallel to the Monkey King [2] in an upcoming short essay for the special issue of English Language Education. [3]

My analogy also emphasizes that while generative AI can imitate human-like behavior extraordinarily well, it is, in essence, non-human. The understanding of its cognitive patterns remains unknown to even its creators. In the Japanese televised adaptations of the Monkey King tales, the monk Tang Sanzang squeezes a restraining band around the head the Monkey King when it abuses its supernatural abilities. Additionally, the Monkey King found it impossible to escape from Buddha's hand no matter how hard it tried. These two episodes suggest that the extraordinary powers produced by non-human entities need to be governed by profound wisdom, symbolized here by the monk and Buddha.

Recently, many experts and public figures have endorsed the Statement on AI Risk: "Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war." [4] This concern underscores the significance of the quote above.

[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/30/technology/shoggoth-meme-ai.html

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_King

[3] https://www.taishukan.co.jp/book/b202193.html

[4] https://www.safe.ai/statement-on-ai-risk

[Written with ChatGPT]

Language learning for diversity and openness (Quote of the Week)

 

"Quote of the Week" is leisure reading in the assignment reminder email to my students.

***

"The rhetorical and linguistic preferences that North American professors honed into me were not just a different writing style or literacy practice, but a different way of knowing. They trained me to write a transparent prose with explicit language which left no room for ambiguity and made me take sole responsibility for conveying meanings to detached readers in a self-standing text. The text was thus treated as disembodied and autonomous."

Decolonizing Academic Writing Pedagogies for Multilingual Students

21 May 2023

TESOL Quarterly.

https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3231

***

Reflect on the quote above as it relates to the journey you're embarking on: writing in English. It involves learning to formulate and express thoughts in an entirely different medium from your mother tongue. Remember, writing encompasses more than merely following rules of spelling and grammar. It is a tool that compels you to structure your thoughts in a particular framework, often called "logic."

However, it's crucial to understand that "logic," in this broad sense, varies across cultures. What English speakers value as logical writing may come across as overly assertive to a Japanese audience. Conversely, a nuanced passage in Japanese, replete with care and consideration, could be misinterpreted as winding and lacking clarity by English readers. Therefore, writing in a foreign language necessitates a cognitive transformation rather than just a simple linguistic modification.

Learn to communicate effectively in English, as it can significantly expand your horizons. However, resist the notion that English writing is the universal standard. Instead, cherish the richness of cultural diversity, for it fosters tolerance and adaptability among us. Your journey of learning English should inspire openness, not narrow-mindedness.

[Written with ChatGPT]

Achievement and accomplishment (Quote of the Week)

 "Quote of the Week" is leisure reading in the assignment reminder email to my students.

***

"Achievement is the completion of the task imposed from outside -- the reward often being a path to the next achievement. Accomplishment is the end point of an engulfing activity we’ve chosen, whose reward is the sudden rush of fulfillment, the sense of happiness that rises uniquely from absorption in a thing outside ourselves."

What We Lose When We Push Our Kids to ‘Achieve’

May 15, 2023

By Adam Gopnik

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/15/opinion/youth-achievement-happiness.html

***

Despite mounting evidence to the contrary, the prevalent approach in many schools is still the classic "carrot and stick" model. [1] A significant number of educators and school leaders firmly believe that students' behaviors should be manipulated through rewards and punishments. They maintain that clear goals should be set for students so that their "achievements" can be precisely measured.

However, pursuing higher achievements can often devolve into a stressful race for status, causing individuals to lose sight of the true purpose of their relentless competition. Too frequently, they lose a sense of personal agency in their own lives. Educators and administrators must recognize that intrinsic motivation--the internal drive of an individual--is more powerful and long-lasting than extrinsic motivation, which is externally driven.

When people engage in actions that they personally value, they experience the joy of "accomplishment." Distinct from achievement, accomplishment springs from within the individual. It does not require external rewards or acknowledgment; the individual becomes the authentic agent of their actions. Accomplishment should be the benchmark in the current education, which values diversity.

The unique values held by each person cannot be easily standardized or measured. Those who find satisfaction in controlling other persons depreciate the meaning of individual accomplishment. Nevertheless, education should not cater to such perspectives. Instead, students should prioritize personal accomplishment and the intrinsic joy it brings rather than seeking achievements dictated by external forces.

[1] 動機づけに関するDan Pinkの動画

http://yanaseyosuke.blogspot.com/2018/04/dan-pink.html

[Written with ChatGPT and QuillBot]

From Jerome Roos (2023) "We Don’t Know What Will Happen Next." (Quote of the Week)

 

"Quote of the Week" is leisure reading in my assignment reminder emails to my students.

***

To truly grasp the complex nature of our current time, we need first of all to embrace its most terrifying aspect: its fundamental open-endedness. It is precisely this radical uncertainty -- not knowing where we are and what lies ahead -- that gives rise to such existential anxiety.

 

We Don’t Know What Will Happen Next

April 18, 2023

By Jerome Roos

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/18/opinion/global-crisis-future.html

People of a particular mindset crave certainty. They wish for a world where everything is predictable and accountable. For such individuals, the current era must be daunting, with global issues such as climate change, geopolitical tension, and the dramatic rise of artificial intelligence.

Those people tend to be drawn to one of the two opposing worldviews: a progressive narrative ("Everything will be okey") or a doomsday narrative ("Our days are numbered"). Both stances exhibit a one-sided perspective that sees history as a linear development, either ascending or descending.

Mr. Roos, an expert on the history of global crises, reminds us of the complexity and open-endedness of the world. The world is perpetually changing, sometimes subtly and occasionally drastically. Furthermore, nobody can predict the extent of the consequences, for changes are endless.

Liberal education emancipates individuals from their narrow-mindedness. Broaden your horizons and accept the complexity of the world. That is how you live a brave life.

[Written with ChatGPT and Bard]

From Sam Altman (2019) "How to be successful." (Quote of the Week)

 

"Quote of the Week" is leisure reading in my assignment reminder emails to my students.

***

"One of the great joys in life is finding your purpose, excelling at it, and discovering that your impact matters to something larger than yourself."

Sam Altman (2019) "How to be successful." 

https://blog.samaltman.com/how-to-be-successful

Sam Altman's 2019 essay details the mindset that propelled him to become the CEO of OpenAI and earned him the title "ChatGPT King" (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/31/technology/sam-altman-open-ai-chatgpt.html).

The quote above is from the section "Work Hard," one of the 13 principles for success outlined in his essay. 

He exemplifies what he says, particularly the following:

"Getting good at communication --particularly written communication-- is an investment worth making. My best advice for communicating clearly is to first make sure your thinking is clear and then use plain, concise language."

Altman's essay serves as a prime example of effective business communication. This essay will be beneficial for your personal and professional growth.

[I used ChatGPT and QuillBot for revising the text above.]