A fisherman at work—traditions play a key role in our modern life, but is that role changing?
このレッスンでは、自然と伝統について話し合い、それらが、論理的な意思決定の過程で、どんな役割をするべきかを結論付けます。
A man went to see a medicine woman who sells natural remedies. One of her items was plain water. The woman said that water is natural, and people have been drinking it for a very, very long time; therefore it is good. So the man bought a liter of water and used it instead of antibiotics.
Did the man make a good choice? Why? What's the root of the problem?
Is water healthy? Of course it is! We need it to survive. But it’s not useful to treat infections.
The woman says, "People have been drinking it for a very, very long time. Therefore it is good." Is this correct? Is it a valid argument? Or is it the other way around? (Water is good for us, therefore human have been drinking it for a long time.)
Key point: The amount of time spend doing something makes it important (especially in a historical sense.) Does it make it good? If a culture has done something for hundreds of years, should they continue to do it? What if it's a bad thing?
This lesson may get a little touchy. It's important to be clear, culture is good, but each action can be judged independently.
Do you feel that traditions are important in modern life? Why?
We will discuss traditions and nature. What do you think of the following idea:
The way it has always been,
is the way it should continue to be.
What does that mean to you? Are all traditions good? Can you think of some examples?
Ideas of good and bad are not an objective issue, they are subjective. Here is some language to discuss subjective topics:
- Well, it depends on the person…
- To be honest, in my case, I think…
- I can see where you are coming from….
However, we can quantify some parts as objective:
Opinions about natural remedies depend on the person, but antibiotics are objectively more powerful when we are dealing with infections. However, I think natural remedies can be very beneficial, depending on the illness.
This can be a touchy topic, so let your student come to their own conclusions. This is not a black and white issue. The world changes. We can decide whether or not each point is valid on its individual merits.
Take sushi as a good example. It’s delicious, right? It’s popular around the world. What do you think of the California roll? is it sushi?
How do you feel about changing culture and changing traditions?
The main point, and this can be controversial is: just because we’ve been doing something for a long time, doesn’t mean we have to keep doing it. We should continue doing an action because the action itself is good.
A more clear-cut example may be women’s rights. Women used to be treated inferior to men. This is pretty clearly wrong, even though it’s traditional. Most modern people can agree that men and women are equal
For each topic, quickly discuss as many aspects as possible. For each aspect consider:
- Is it a pro, or a con?
- Is it objective or subjective?
- Should it change in the future?
- The traditional Japanese kimono;
- Your business culture; and
- Your food culture.