I don't know much about the architecture of Japan. I know that at least some parts of it were originally borrowed from the Chinese. I have reason to believe that nearly all of it was borrowed from the Chinese. I have it from many reputable sources nearly all of the traditional beautifully organic culture of Japan comes from China. The Japanese did with aspects of Chinese culture, what they are now doing with western culture. They copied it an evolved it in their own direction. The Japanese were not big on innovation then either. They are practical. They find something that works; then they adapt and improve it over time. The Chinese/Japanese culture worked well until they met wild western barbarians with better guns. The Chinese suffered two cultural revolutions. The first one came when the young angry Japanese soldiers mocked and destroyed them as crazy old traditional people. The Japanese blamed their parents, so to speak, for the whipping they had taken from the Europeans and Americans before they decided to modernize. The second one came when the teenage Red Guard members tried to cleanse China of all of that old traditional superstitious nonsense. Later the Chinese realized that the Red Guard has destroyed some of their greatest cultural treasures.
The Chinese art and technology was developed through observation and a little bit of theory. The main theory was that observation trumps theory. They never got to the stage of controlled experiments. The controlled experiment is the main reason that modern western science is more powerful and less organic than Chinese science. The Chinese learned from complex real world experiences and observation rather then trying to isolated the causes. Both approaches have merit. In fact we need more of the ancient Chinese approach. Roger Bacon (not Francis) and Goethe both approached the study of nature in a manner similar to the Chinese. The cyberneticists started a new useful stream in western science that is more organic. Many clear thinkers have said and I agree that we will be far better off when modern western science and western thinking becomes more organic. On Jan 5, 10:40 am, CrossBow <[email protected]> wrote: > Consider this, Japanese and Chinese, live inside and outside of some of the > oldest art forms in history everyday. The homes some of them live in are > master craftsman works of art (some are slums or apartment boxes too). The > temples, streets, haiku, writing, even the language have been culturally > streamlined for beauty. Much of their art forms are considered the height > of pottery making in the World eclipsed by no other culture as yet. Their > ornamental manners are a cultural facade masking thier thoughts that evolved > over centuries. Lovely but decietful:). They were such an organic culture > that it must be an intense shift for them to become so technologically > advanced in so few years. They have had to be something of creative to have > made this cultural leap. But - could these concerns of creative stagnancy be > a signal that thier creativity may have played itself out over hundreds of > years culminating in a decadence that may need a artistic rennaisance in the > near future? Whatever it is it will be sure to be beautiful if they can > retain their past:)... > > read more » > > > > On Sun, Jan 4, 2009 at 8:01 PM, Isparklaria <[email protected]> wrote: > > > On Jan 4, 7:20 pm, ornamentalmind <[email protected]> wrote: > > > I see you are attempting to hammer your point home! I'll read the rest > > > as I can Isp! :) > > > Yes, Orn, I'll hammer you down for standing out:-). Actually I would > > agree that Japanese individuals within Japanese society are probably > > very creative in ways that I have not even thought of. However, I'd > > like to see those ways defined and then see evidence unless it is self > > evident. > > > I also want to protest that you took me out of context but I will also > > give you some slack because what I wrote was not all that clear. But > > here again, below is what I wrote. Notice that I wrote "in the process > > of fitting in" as a qualifer as to why the Japanese lack creativty. > > Notice how I also mentioned Japanese society. I suppose you misread > > this and thought that I attributed the lack of creativity in Japan to > > something inate in the individuals. But if you reread it you will see > > that a better interpretation (in my excellent opinion) is that what I > > wrote atrributes that lack of creativity to the society. > > > Notice that I wrote "in the process of fitting in" as a qualifer as to > > why the Japanese lack creativty. Notice how I also mentioned Japanese > > society. I suppose you misread this and thought that I attributed the > > lack of creativity in Japan to something innate in the individuals. > > But if you reread it you will see that a better interpretation (in my > > excellent opinion) is that what I wrote atrributes that lack of > > creativity to the environment via the society. > > > Now go memorize all of those articles that I sent and I'll test you on > > them later:-) > > > Perhaps Japan has something to teach us, but they also have much to > > learn. In the process of fitting in, the Japanese people, though > > intelligent, lack creativity. They are good at reverse engineering > > and > > improving products, but originallity is almost non existant. "The > > nail > > that sticks out gets hammered down," describes prewestern Japanese > > society and even now this approach is highly influential. I am glad > > that I do not live in such a society. > > > On Jan 4, 7:20 pm, ornamentalmind <[email protected]> wrote: > > > I see you are attempting to hammer your point home! I'll read the rest > > > as I can Isp! :) > > > > On Jan 4, 5:18 pm, ornamentalmind <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > "…It seems that you are saying "in some ways" the Japanese are not > > > > lacking in creativty…." – Ish > > > > > "…I have already offered evidence that in the balance Japanese > > > > culture, even at the end of the 20th century, is a rigid culture that > > > > does not encourage inovation…." – Ish > > > > > Yes, I do say that creativity is not a genetic trait that can be > > > > attributed to one culture and not another. Thus, any apparent lack of > > > > creativity, an innate trait, can be found elsewhere. . . the cause of > > > > said appearances is what I'm talking about here. > > > > > Also, what you claim now to have offered evidence of differs quite a > > > > bit from your original declarations: > > > > ["they..lack creativity" and "…originallity is almost non > > > > existant…". ] > > > > > However, even giving you the right to change what you mean to express, > > > > what you posted before and now here do not go near your original > > > > notions. So, I feel no need to support my disagreement with what I > > > > still understand your original propositions to have been, seeing > > > > little/no evidence supporting them. In fact, your earlier posted > > > > 'evidence' goes toward showing how creative many in Japan are. Your > > > > current posts do the same. What they DO show is that there is, in some > > > > areas, social 'rules' that appear to stifle creativity. This may be so > > > > in specific areas. It is also true most places on earth. There are > > > > social 'rules' that do not like much movement away from any given > > > > 'norm' to be found almost everywhere. This has nothing to do with the > > > > presence of individual creativity. > > > > > On Jan 4, 8:14 am, Isparklaria <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > Orn and all, > > > > > > Having not lived in Japan, I can only form my opinion of the second > > > > > hand. One of my sources was a Japanese acquaintance of mine. He came > > > > > to the USA with his wife and children so that his children could get > > > > > what he considered a real education. His children were attending a > > > > > private school that had the goal of eventually teaching them to think > > > > > for them selves. He told me about the Japanese educational system. It > > > > > was based almost entirely on rote learning. Unfortunately much of > > > > > American education is now almost all rote learning. I happen to work > > > > > as a substitute teacher, so, at least within the schools I work in, > > > > > this is the case. Hideki and his wife, Yuko, also told me about > > > > > Japanese after school cram schools. As if six hours of rote learning > > > > > weren't enough, many children went for another four to six hours of > > > > > after school "cram school". This leaves little or no time for > > creative > > > > > activity such as authentic play (exploration). > > > > > > Below is another link to an article from 2004 that backs up my > > > > > statement. I have not taken the time to read more than the abstract, > > > > > which I have pasted in after the link. I have read other articles > > > > > about Japan's lack of creativity and also the lack of creativity in > > > > > some other far eastern nations. One example of this lack of > > creativity > > > > > is that although their universities produce first-rate technicians > > > > > with PhD degrees, they produce few scientific innovators. How are > > they > > > > > dealing with this problem? For the most part, they are doing what > > they > > > > > always do, which is copy someone else's system that already get the > > > > > results, In this case it is mostly America's system. In my opinion > > > > > they are still afraid to improvise, to step into the unknown or even > > > > > attempt a seriously different permutation of their own current > > > > > approach. Although studying and copying the creativity developing > > ways > > > > > of others is not a total waste, to really be creative one must be > > > > > willing to fall flat on ones face, rather than proceed with caution. > > > > > This is true for developing creativity enhancing educational methods > > > > > also. Without his leap into the unknown, they will only be a modified > > > > > copy of America, and that is not being creative. > > > > > >http://www.wilsoncenter.org/topics/pubs/asiarpt121.pdf > > > > > JUNE 2004 > > > > > > ABSTRACT: The Japanese government is in the midst of economic and > > > > > educational reforms to > > > > > enhance creativity and boost national competitiveness. In this > > report, > > > > > three experts explore and > > > > > evaluate these unprecedented measures.According to Gerald Hane, Japan > > > > > has already made some > > > > > progress in removing obstacles to entrepreneurship, allowing > > > > > innovators to benefit from their > > > > > ideas, and improving worker mobility—although ample room for > > > > > improvement remains. Akiko > > > > > Hashimoto argues that deeply embedded social hierarchies stifle the > > > > > creativity of Japan's young > > > > > people.Youths should be brought into the reform process because > > > > > creativity cannot be stimulated > > > > > through top-down regulation, she contends. Misao Hayakawa warns that > > > > > Japan may go too > > > > > far in emphasizing choice and individualism at the expense of > > > > > standards. He maintains that higher > > > > > education has been more successful than lower education in > > > > > implementing reforms that are > > > > > meaningful and measurable. > > > > > > http://www.wilsoncenter.org/topics/pubs/asiarpt121.pdf > > > > > > On Jan 3, 10:26 pm, ornamentalmind <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > Ish, I was sure that you had some backing for your beliefs…you > > often > > > > > > do. And, in general, I have found your posting to be rather even > > > > > > handed and somewhat insightful. > > > > > > > This said, in this one instance, I find what I understand to be > > your > > > > > > view to be to be far from the case. > > > > > > > Without belaboring the issue, I referenced your words "they..lack > > > > > > creativity" as being 'in some ways' not close to reality. I also > > just > > > > > > referenced your words about the Japanese "…originallity is almost > > non > > > > > > existant…". I will add directly here that such an assertion > > appears > > > > > > absurd to me.- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Memphis Freethought Alliance" group. 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