Think Out Loud
"We do not learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience." -John Dewey
Necessary Knowledge discussion: What to learn to improve the world
What must we understand in order to create a social order that satisfies (at least) the material needs of individuals in a nation?
Berlin’s Marx proposes that Das Kapital was created as an attempt to fill this knowledge gap. In summation, the requisite knowledge comes from an understanding of each class’ resources and the major events and governing dynamics of social history (that is, the history of class struggle). Marx, of course, believed that these governing dynamics were clearly evidenced by the historical record. Many contemporary scholars are not so sure.
Setting governing dynamics aside for now, an accurate account of the resources necessary and available for basic human welfare will surely help us. A field of microeconomic tools called Welfare Economics may help us in this endeavor.
Of course, many intellectual developments have taken place since Marx’s time for conceptualizing the well-being of societies. This post is meant to be a discussion: What do you think are the most effective skills or realms of knowledge for improving our societies?
