Comments on: Making Bad Choices http://blog.coreknowledge.org/2008/12/02/making-bad-choices/ Closing the Achievement Gap: Teaching Content Sun, 21 Mar 2010 11:24:30 -0500 hourly 1 By: Robert Pondiscio http://blog.coreknowledge.org/2008/12/02/making-bad-choices/comment-page-1/#comment-4960 Robert Pondiscio Wed, 03 Dec 2008 03:15:19 +0000 http://www.coreknowledge.org/blog/?p=1558#comment-4960 The idea of what's wrong with cheating is interesting. But how about what IS cheating? When otherwise thoughtful people insist that a command of facts and background knowledge is unimportant in the Age of Google, what's the difference between going online to look up what year the War of 1812 was fought, and downloading an entire term paper about it? Isn't information literacy, and the ability to synthesize and manipulate information the goal? Is the real task writing the paper? Or having the discernment to judge three different papers on the same subject as good, better, best -- and submit the best one? Mind you, I don't believe this for a second. But I can certainly imagine someone making this argument and meaning it. The idea of what’s wrong with cheating is interesting. But how about what IS cheating? When otherwise thoughtful people insist that a command of facts and background knowledge is unimportant in the Age of Google, what’s the difference between going online to look up what year the War of 1812 was fought, and downloading an entire term paper about it? Isn’t information literacy, and the ability to synthesize and manipulate information the goal? Is the real task writing the paper? Or having the discernment to judge three different papers on the same subject as good, better, best — and submit the best one?

Mind you, I don’t believe this for a second. But I can certainly imagine someone making this argument and meaning it.

]]> By: mlu http://blog.coreknowledge.org/2008/12/02/making-bad-choices/comment-page-1/#comment-4958 mlu Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:11:34 +0000 http://www.coreknowledge.org/blog/?p=1558#comment-4958 Part of the problem is the belief that the basis of morality is personal choice. This is the end state of radical individualism and moral relativism. Hold people personally responsible for what? Choice theory doesn't offer a standard, other than some sort of cost/benefit analysis of the effects of a choice on the self. So what's wrong with cheating? In my experience, few educators can any longer articulate a clear and coherent argument against it. Or if they can, they would never dream of doing so out loud and in public. They will try to make it a matter of "respect" or "tolerance" which are the only moral terms they have left to work with. Goodness has been debunked and dethroned, and only self interest remains. Part of the problem is the belief that the basis of morality is personal choice. This is the end state of radical individualism and moral relativism.

Hold people personally responsible for what? Choice theory doesn’t offer a standard, other than some sort of cost/benefit analysis of the effects of a choice on the self.

So what’s wrong with cheating?

In my experience, few educators can any longer articulate a clear and coherent argument against it. Or if they can, they would never dream of doing so out loud and in public. They will try to make it a matter of “respect” or “tolerance” which are the only moral terms they have left to work with. Goodness has been debunked and dethroned, and only self interest remains.

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