Due to low birth rate, Japan abolishes social sciences, STEM for all.

[jimmy olsen]

Honshu boning trip '16. Ide can come along too. He will be my dog robber.

I'm just across the straight! I can come. Teach me 'oh master!

[Admiral Yi]

What Boner has can't be taught; only acquired through a freak industrial accident.

[Eddie Teach]

Educational research

That was the one that jumped out at me as well.

[DontSayBanana]

I don't think anybody is saying let's abolish all social sciences.  But the point is, we don't have infinite resources and more social sciences may not be an optimal allocation of resources.  Why do you think you know more about the Japanese if they have the right amount of social science courses?

And where do you get your government operators?  Technocrats are notoriously bad with managing the human portions of their constituencies.  Does anybody really want Japan to turn into a country run by Japanese Mark Zuckerberg clones?

[Monoriu]

I don't think anybody is saying let's abolish all social sciences.  But the point is, we don't have infinite resources and more social sciences may not be an optimal allocation of resources.  Why do you think you know more about the Japanese if they have the right amount of social science courses?

And where do you get your government operators?  Technocrats are notoriously bad with managing the human portions of their constituencies.  Does anybody really want Japan to turn into a country run by Japanese Mark Zuckerberg clones?

Universities are largely funded by taxpayers.  Somebody needs to ensure that universities act in a way that is in accordance with public interest, and that somebody is the government.  Ideally, students should be able to study whatever they want.  This best represents market demand.  But that is clearly unrealistic, because universities need to set up the infrastructure in place (largely teaching staff) before they can meet student demand.  This effectively places a quota on the number of students that can be accepted into any given discipline.  Because universities are largely funded by taxpayers and not tuition, universities do not have enough incentive to respond to student/market demand rapidly.  Their tendency is to retain their existing teaching staff.  This results in too much capacity for legacy disciplines, and not enough capacity for new disciplines.  This is where governments come in. 

Government bureaucrats aren't perfect.  But this is better than the other option, which is to let the universities do whatever they want with taxpayer money without consequences. 

In HK, actually this isn't done by government bureaucrats.  There is a committee with overseas experts, lay members and university representatives that make decisions on university funding. 

[Martinus]

I'm glad people who think like Mono are in charge in Asia - this means, for all their industriousness they will never beat the West.

In fact look at what happened to Japan - they came close (remember all the fears of the Japanese taking over the US economy in the 70s and the 80s?) but then started to slide back, exactly because creativity and innovativeness (in a true sense, not just how to make a smaller computer) cannot be centrally planned. Same will happen with China - they have been growing because they started from really really low and they just have a shitload of people, so in absolute numbers it seems staggering - but there is only a certain (sub-Western) level they will reach and then they will began to slide back - you could say that this has already begun.

There is a reason Americans invented the iPhone and the best Chinese can do is to make it (or plagiarise it) - and not the other way around.

[Monoriu]

There is a reason Americans invented the iPhone and the best Chinese can do is to make it (or plagiarise it) - and not the other way around.

That reason is called Steve Jobs 

[Martinus]

There is a reason Americans invented the iPhone and the best Chinese can do is to make it (or plagiarise it) - and not the other way around.

That reason is called Steve Jobs 

Who never studied STEM

[Eddie Teach]

There is a reason Americans invented the iPhone and the best Chinese can do is to make it (or plagiarise it) - and not the other way around.

That reason is called Steve Jobs 

Jobs never invented anything.

[Monoriu]

There is a reason Americans invented the iPhone and the best Chinese can do is to make it (or plagiarise it) - and not the other way around.

That reason is called Steve Jobs 

Who never studied STEM

The point is, I doubt the amount of funding that social sciences get has much to do with the differences between the US and Japan.

[jimmy olsen]

There is a reason Americans invented the iPhone and the best Chinese can do is to make it (or plagiarise it) - and not the other way around.

That reason is called Steve Jobs 

Who never studied STEM

And would never have succeeded in East Asia.

[Monoriu]

And would never have succeeded in East Asia.

Why not?  Li Ka Shing, richest man in Hong Kong and frequently considered one of the richest 20-30 men in the world, never completed high school.  Jack Ma, owner of Alibaba.com, made his billions from the internet.  His education was unremarkable. 

[Martinus]

You just don't get it, Mono. The point I was making was about the overall superiority of the West (or more specifically, USA) over Asia and reasons for that. The fact that there are rich people in Asia hardly addresses that point. You can be rich from selling shit other people invented. That does not make you creative, in a culture-shaping way.

[Martinus]

The point is, I doubt the amount of funding that social sciences get has much to do with the differences between the US and Japan.

Both countries have different higher education models.

The point is, the US government does not try to decide what people should study by an administrative fiat.

[Lettow77]

 Don't let the demiwesterners get you down, Mono. The accusation that east asians can't think creatively because they are part of a collective hivemind identity is one of the last refuges of western prejudice. 

You really must forgive them; I am given to understand Martinus recently purchased an indulgence for exactly that reason.