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First step, Alan, is
that this has to stop being 1,691 words long, and become less than | | | Put this inside the limits of the assignment and then we can both go
to work on it. | |
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> | | | | ON A PRACTICAL LEGAL EDUCATION | |
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< | In the essay The Use of Knowledge in Society, Friedrich Hayek wrote "The peculiar character of the problem of a rational economic order is determined precisely by the fact that the knowledge of the circumstances of which we must make use never exists in concentrated or integrated form but solely as the dispersed bits of incomplete and frequently contradictory knowledge which all the separate individuals possess...to put it briefly, it is a problem of the utilization of knowledge which is not given to anyone in its totality." I believe this statement is true for now but with technology evolving, human beings may finally have the ability to fix Mr. Hayek's problem of determining a rational economic order (e.g. this wiki brings together some of those dispersed bits of knowledge by efficiently allocating resources to all minds and by maximizing time regardless of space).
This great technological change will surely bring with it great shifts in power. It will be our jobs as the lawyers of our generation to assist others in adapting to this change and adapting to these shifts in power. However, law schools around the country are not yet taking advantage of technological possibilities and not sufficiently dealing with the effects of technological change. Our whole education system is stuck in the past and I propose that together, we should build a better legal education. | >
> | "The peculiar character of the problem of a rational economic order is determined precisely by the fact that the knowledge of the circumstances of which we must make use never exists in concentrated or integrated form but solely as the dispersed bits of incomplete and frequently contradictory knowledge which all the separate individuals possess...to put it briefly, it is a problem of the utilization of knowledge which is not given to anyone in its totality." - Friedrich Hayek, The Use of Knowledge in Society. | | | | |
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< | We should transform the law school experience because we do not need to learn the law as we learn it today. We need to learn the law so that we can create appropriate laws to govern the present and adapt to the incredibly different future that is coming our way. It takes only a single glance at our current legal regime to see the disastrous effects caused by our being stuck in the past. When a disaster strikes, one needs to start from scratch while fixing past mistakes. As the brightest law students in the country, we have the power to rebuild the legal education, fixing past mistakes and building on old and new ideas. This wiki is convenient for such a collaborative endeavor. | >
> | I believe this statement is true for now but with technology evolving, human beings may finally have the ability to fix Mr. Hayek's problem of determining a rational economic order (e.g. this wiki brings together some of those dispersed bits of knowledge by efficiently allocating resources to all minds and by maximizing time regardless of space). | | | | |
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< | For the most part, law school courses do not ask us to think. They instruct us to read and ask us to spit back the information we read rather than allowing us to think about what we learned and develop skills necessary for contributing to the legal field. We hope the professor gives us a good grade but those grades are quite limiting, as they force our great minds to compete. When we finally get passed our grades, we are graded by a paycheck. I have no problems with competition per se. I have a problem with competition without progress and that competition is the basis of our current legal education. Progress comes from building on thoughts, not from getting a check+ on a paper nor a check signed by a law firm. Those things are restraints on our collaborative abilities. At the level of intelligence we have all shown by now, competing for a grade is worthless to ourselves and to society. | >
> | This great technological change will surely bring with it great shifts in power. It will be our jobs as the lawyers of our generation to assist others in adapting to this change and adapting to these shifts in power. However, law schools around the country are not yet taking advantage of technological possibilities and not sufficiently dealing with the effects of technological change. Our whole education system is stuck in the past and I propose that together, we should build a better legal education. As the brightest law students in the country, we have the power to succeed with this objective, fixing past mistakes and building on both old and new ideas. It takes only a single glance at our current legal regime to see the disastrous effects caused by our being stuck in the past. When a disaster strikes, one needs to start from scratch while fixing past mistakes. This wiki is convenient for such a collaborative endeavor. | | | | |
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< | I am interested in the law but not in the laws of today. The laws of today do not pertain to my life or my future. They are the laws of yesterday, stuck in the past and not forward-looking in any way. We need laws for today and we need laws for tomorrow. In this course I was asked to think and express my thoughts. Those thoughts were challenged. I was not told that I was wrong but just asked to make them coherent, for my own benefit and in turn, for society's benefit. For once, my thoughts on, and education in, a topic were not going to end with the receipt of a grade. This truly educational course could be used as the basis for our future legal education. | >
> | We should transform the law school experience because we do not need to learn the law as we learn it today. The laws of today do not pertain to my life or my future. They are the laws of yesterday, stuck in the past and not forward-looking in any way. Instead, we should learn the law so that we can create appropriate laws to govern the present and adapt to the incredibly different future that is coming our way. | | | | |
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< | Let’s combine all of our bits of knowledge and experiment with a single credit online course. At the beginning of the semester, each of the students are asked to devote one hour per week to solving a serious problem in our country (a problem chosen by a professor in collaboration with students). By the end of the 13 weeks, the class would have almost 500 hours of collaboration. Even a single moment of collaboration would be better than Congress. In the book Outliers, author Malcolm Gladwell (I know he is a jackass and has weird hair) says that it takes roughly ten thousand hours of practice to achieve mastery in a field. Imagine if this was not just 38 students but 100 students. Imagine if it was not just 1 credit but 4 credits. Could you imagine what we could accomplish as energetic and eager law students, especially if other schools joined in on our course? Forget mastery in a field, we could breed progress. | >
> | For the most part, law school courses do not ask us to think. Professors instruct us to read and ask us to spit back the information we read rather than guide our thinking as to how such information shapes and affects law. We hope the professor will give us a good grade, but those grades are quite limiting because they force us to compete. Even when we get past our grades, we are graded by a paycheck. | | | | |
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< | I do not want eighty-three credits for my law school experience. I took some courses and passed some exams. I do not see why that deserves credit. There are no due dates or ends of classes in life and our education system needs to realize this fact. We should combine technology with a legal education so we are not stuck taking exams on ExamSoft but testing our minds in the real world. A course similar to the one proposed above, could have a positive impact on the world. The Internet has given our minds longevity, allowing everybody access to our thoughts and ideas. It gives us a collaborative tool that can help solve Mr. Hayek’s problem. We can let our thoughts and ideas build upon each other and come closer to efficiency.
We could fix the education system and fix the country, credit by credit. And maybe, one day, we will truly know what a credit is, appreciate its value, and give and get credit only when it is deserved. | >
> | I do not have a problem with competition, but I have a problem with competition that does not generate progress, and this is precisely the type of competition that is the basis of our current legal education. Progress comes from building on each other's thoughts, not from getting a check+ on a paper or a hefty check from a law firm. Those things are restraints on our collaborative abilities. At the level of intelligence we have all shown by now, competing for a grade is worthless to ourselves and to society.
Furthermore, I do not think that I deserve eighty-three credits for my law school experience. I took some courses and passed some exams. I do not see why that deserves credit. Our education system fails to realize that in life, there are no due dates or ends of classes. We should match reality with the legal education so we are not stuck taking exams on ExamSoft but testing our minds in the real world. In Professor Moglen's course I was asked to think and express my thoughts in a coherent manner. My thoughts were challenged but for once, my thoughts on, and education in, a topic were not going to end with the receipt of a grade. This truly educational course could be used as the basis for our future legal education.
A course similar to the one proposed below, could have a positive impact on the world. The Internet has given our minds longevity and has allowed everybody access to our thoughts and ideas. It gives us a collaborative tool that can help solve Mr. Hayek's problem. We can let our thoughts and ideas build upon each other and come closer to efficiency.
Let's combine all of our bits of knowledge and experiment with a single credit online course. At the beginning of the semester, each student will be asked to devote one hour per week to solving a serious problem in our country (a problem chosen by a professor in collaboration with students). By the end of the 13 weeks, the class would have almost 500 hours of collaboration. Even a single moment of collaboration would be better than Congress. In the book Outliers, author Malcolm Gladwell (I know he is a jackass and has weird hair) says that it takes roughly ten thousand hours of practice to achieve mastery in a field. Imagine if this was not just 38 students but 100 students. Imagine if it was not just 1 credit but 4 credits. Could you imagine what we could accomplish as energetic and eager law students, especially if other schools joined in on our course?
Forget mastery in a field, we could breed progress. We could fix the education system and fix the country, credit by credit. And maybe, one day, we will truly know what a credit is, appreciate its value, and give and get credit only when it is deserved. |
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