ramblings

Reading Weber's "Science as a Vocation", I saw parts of Rousseau and Marx in his arguments. To become a professor, assistants rely on luck. I thought that argument is similar to Rousseau's inequality debate-- how each human is born with innate abilities/ skills. It is by luck that they are given that power. Weber then talks about calculations which made me think of Marx's point of alienation and the increasing influence of machines over humans.

What really got me thinking was... Yes, science isn't able to provide us with answers to every mystery of the world -- the reason for our existence, the path to true God, the path to true happiness, etc... but shouldn't we be grateful with what we do know? Like my first paper... humans are increasingly becoming greedy. Not only for money, but for knowledge. We don't seem to be happy ... ever... with what we have.

Also, sometimes it's better to know less.. to live life free of those worries. Maybe because I grew up with a Chinese background, that's why I think like that? Similar to what Weber said, in China, we treat teachers to be leaders. We rarely question the validity of what we are taught. Maybe that's why I'm fine with knowing just what I have to know to survive in life...

It goes to show what Weber says is quite true.. Our world might be progressing intellectually... but how many of us are chasing after that knowledge? If we relate to our present world... how many of us college students actually follow the news? Actually pick up the newspaper to read...? Is this considered alienation then...? To place it in a more current form... can alienation be called self-absorption...?