Are children sharper than adults?

[HoreTore]

Well, my mini-research does seem to indicate it...

Over the past year, I have tried to squeeze in a debate on money and power in every class I've teached. As I'm a sub, that means quite a few classes, on several schools. I have also asked the same question to adults, and I have to say that the kids answer is much sharper than what I get from adults.

The opening question of the discussion is:

"If you wake up tomorrow, and you find that you now have one million dollars*, what would that situation mean to you?"

Most adults jump at an explanation that is self-centered, they focus on not having money-related worries anymore, as well as being able to get what they've dreamed of(new car, house, etc). In essence, they stress a new level of freedom. Not a wrong answer obviously, but the kids go one step further: they link an increase in wealth to an increase in power. A much sharper observation, IMO. Of course, a kid has a limited understanding of a term such as "power", so they will formulate themselves differently; they will say that "they will have the ability to make other people do what they want". The really sharp buggers go the extra mile though, by saying that "they can make others do what they want, even things others do not want to do.

Brilliant answer! A definition of power coming from a 12-year old that is the same as Weber's definition!

Put the kids in power, I say!

That makes six posts today, I think it's time for me to crawl away and lick the wounds I suffered in the corporate football league final today...


*The figure varies according to the age group. It has to be so large that it's an unreachable and fantastic amount for them, yet not so big that they don't understand how big it is. Understanding of large numbers varies with age.

[rory_20_uk]

1 million isn't going to give anyone any power, unless you're going to decamp to become an African Warlord for example. The money is enough to provide increased freedom, although even 1 million one would have to work for long, especially if one intends to increase one's standard of living.

For money to generate meaningful power from no power base at all I think one would be looking at tens to hundreds of millions.

~:smoking:

[HoreTore]

1 million isn't going to give anyone any power, unless you're going to decamp to become an African Warlord for example. The money is enough to provide increased freedom, although even 1 million one would have to work for long, especially if one intends to increase one's standard of living.

For money to generate meaningful power from no power base at all I think one would be looking at tens to hundreds of millions.

~:smoking:

See the comment after the asterix...

An 11-year old has no concept of "10 billion dollars", thus saying "one million" is more than enough to create the effect wanted.

But on that note, it could well be argued that any increase in wealth creates a corresponding increase in power, or in other words, that the two are linked. For example, if I have a hundred dollars, I can make another guy drive me to where I want to go, even though that man may not have a specific wish to drive me there, because my 100-dollar bull represents a power I have over the other.

This thinking is in line with the dominant academic thought on power and wealth today, and it fascinates me that a random 12-year old's thoughts is more in line with it than the thoughts of a random adult.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

It doesn't surprise me one bit that dominant academic theory if wealth is childish :mellow: