October 2011
3 posts
An effective leader must possess the ability not...
Describe a specific situation in which a leader might be effective without anticipating future problems. Discuss what you think determines whether or not it is necessary for a leader to anticipate future problems.
In general, an organization, just like an organism, must consistently and accurately predict upcoming opportunity and imminent danger in order to thrive. A leader operating an...
Human behavior is guided primarily by...
Describe a specific situation in which human behavior might not be guided primarily by self-interest. Discuss what you think determines when human behavior is guided primarily by self-interest and when it is not.
If I am not for me, then who will be? A question asked by Rabbi Hillel years ago resounds to this day. Self-assertion is a survival imperative. In a state of feast or famine, we must...
Leadership involves speaking out when others might...
Describe a specific situation in which leadership might involve keeping silent. Discuss what you think determines whether a leader should speak out or keep silent.
Like any technology, the technology of natural language is both creative and destructive. Speech can heal or harm. A leader must strike a balance between disclosure (ethics) and nondisclosure (aesthetics).
Cautious discretion is...
August 2011
2 posts
Resolved: The nature of democracy requires that...
Describe a specific situation in which citizens in a democracy might justifiably not be dependent upon one another. Discuss what you think determines when citizens in a democracy should be dependent upon one another.
Let’s distinguish positive and negative rights. Positive right applies in situations where a citizen carries the expectation that another member of the public will come to their aid...
Resolved: The object of education should be to...
Describe a specific situation in which the object of education might be teaching values rather than skills. Discuss what you think determines when the object of education is to teach skills and when it is to teach values.
It is often said that those who don’t study history are doomed to repeat it. Consider Holocaust education. The explicit aim of building awareness of the Holocaust is to ensure...
I'm finding my voice
Each night, I’m going to select a writing sample prompt, set an egg timer for 30 minutes, and write until time runs out. I’ll immediately post whatever I’ve written, however unfinished, incomplete or incoherent.
For the last few years, I’ve stopped publishing my writing, in part because I fear that I will be held responsible in adulthood for what I write while a young adult.
I’d like to find...
September 2010
2 posts
Attention Trading
Although the internet economy and expertise development are fueled by deliberate practice, mankind does not have a universal, sexy currency symbol to tally the 10,000 hours required to become a deeply experienced domain expert. The time symbol (t) used in physics and chemistry courses just doesn’t cut it. How can the lowly letter t gain ground on the unmistakable, almighty dollar ($)?...
Tabula Rasa - Check back by September 19
We’ve wiped the slate clean, since Checklist Life is coming under shared management. Expect a new post once each week. The first substantive post will arrive no later than Sunday, September 19, 2010.
Please come again!