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Linda's avatar

Very interesting and encouraging article. Yes, John, engineers of the likes needed for these kinds of projects probably started being a critical thinker and curious about the world around them as children. Parents need to encourage their children to learn to be problem solvers. Look for your child's natural bent and help them to develop it into a future career. It will benefit them and society. That is, a society of builders, not breakers and givers, not takers.

John Droz's avatar

Linda: Great advice. It works because children are naturally inclined to be Critical Thinkers...

Stephen Kirtland's avatar

The American vulnerability is the tendency to eagerly fasten on to the simple "one and done" answer to every situation. The media emphasizes every difficulty as a problem, and every promise as an unmitigated success. Our nation was founded by people who were thoughtful concerning the multitude of definitions of perfection that exist, as well as the disagreements about what might constitute a satisfactory cirvumstance of living. The media encourages an attitude of uncompromising adherence to a single ideal rather than a negotiated, mutually acceptable resolution. We are a resilient, emotionally flexible, and rational people. We need to emphasize those characteristics as we approavh the challenges of the next two-hundred and fifty years (always assuming the Lord Jesus will not return before then). Avoiding absolutism, extremism, and radicalism will give us the best chance of continued prosperity and liberty.

John Droz's avatar

Stephen: TY - well said.

Nadia Nichols's avatar

That's a refreshing glimpse into our energy future, a bit more realistic than my neighbor's comment that "If we just installed more wind turbines and solar panels, this heat wave wouldn't be bad at all, and our electricity prices would go down". To think or not to think, that is the question. Fortunately, we have some outstanding American thought leaders.

John Droz's avatar

Nadia: For someone to actually believe that is an indictment on the false information conveyed by the media, combined with that person's apparent lack of Critical Thinking skills.

Fritz Rench's avatar

MY thoughts were sent by accident…

will begin again,

It’s quite appropriate this weekend you

cite the American resourcefulness

exceptionalism…in your example,

the oil industry.

I’d like to add the thought such progress results from the formation of

our Constitutional Republic…more so

than from an American advantage

of harboring the brains of the world.

Plenty of smart folks elsewhere…

but constrained/impeded by effects

of their political cultures.

Imo, our advantage is driven by

the C-R’s affecting what one could define as: “enabling the voluntary release of unconstrsined creative human energy”.

Fritz Rench's avatar

Quite appropriate you cite the oil industry as one demonstration of

American exceptionalism.

I’d like to add the notion of such brilliant

resourcefulness being a secondary…

an effects of th

consequences…