Coding is more important than Shakespeare, says VC living in self-contained universe

Close on the heels of Marc Andreessen's anti-colonialism comments about India, a second billionaire Silicon Valley VC has exploded his ego all over the internet. But whereas Andreessen's offensive comments were restricted to a 140-character tweet, Vinod Khosla has written over 5,000 words to explain why kids should learn …

[goldcd]

Surprisingly I find myself going against the sentiment of the masses here.

I never liked "The Greats of Literature" - made to read them, perform them, comment on them - but frankly I never liked them. Came back many years later as a non-grumpy-teenager to review my position, and up there with piano lessons I still have no love, and definitely am not "thanking anybody later".

My personal feeling is that there's nothing wrong with Shakespeare. You can consider it a great leap forward (e.g. the jew demanding his pound of flesh is portrayed with sympathy) - for its time.

Fetishing Homer, Shakespeare, Shelley, whoever is wrong - they were important for their time, like great battles, but are just interesting points on a continuum. Pivotal in their time, but lessening in interest as we continue.

Not expecting others to agree, but then there's plenty that I love (Biology) that book-wavers dismiss.

I can get myself worked up into paroxysms of wrath over people not caring to even attempt to understand how their own meat-bag works.

Physics I can't relate to, but I wish I could (it's on my to-do-list) - the world, the everything.

I can read, I hasten to point out. I love reading. Richard Feynman is surely somebody who manages to bridge a gap - to explain something important to you. Or, should you not want a lecture, Primo Levi.

I guess my point is, "What's the point of literature?"

Value is within the context - "Hey, maybe Jews aren't completely evil!?!". Context changes, values shift, and that should impact the literature that comments upon it - not to disparage it for what it was, but we should recognize what it is.

[Michael Bukva]

O, brave new world,

that has such people it 't.

[anonymous boring coward]

I think programming is more important than coding.

[Anonymous Coward]

No he didn't.

The article never used the word coding at all. It only mentioned computer programming, which involves a lot more than coding.

However, computer programming is a lot more important than Shakespeare, which is obvious from the fact that there are a lot more people who've been positively affected by computer programming than have been positively affected by Shakespeare (particularly all of the people who don't know English).

But the blog wasn't really about that. It was about wanting to see skills-focused education that helps people think critically and rationally, and, for pragmatic reasons, focuses on teaching stuff that's is hard to self-teach and that will help people be gainfully employed and productive.

Unnecessarily wordy, but with the basic gist correct.

[Solmyr ibn Wali Barad]

"However, computer programming is a lot more important than Shakespeare, which is obvious from the fact that there are a lot more people who've been positively affected by computer programming than have been positively affected by Shakespeare (particularly all of the people who don't know English)"

Obvious? Fact? Pfft. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.

That phrase, by the way, has made its way into hundreds of cultures and languages, as Shakespeare happens to be one of the most translated authors in history. It's far from the English-only phenomenon. His works are customary among the literature taught in public schools. Not to mention schools of actors all over the world - one simply cannot evade Shakespeare there.

[illiad]

No, you could say acting (mostly Shakespeare, of course!) is good training for young minds, it forces them to adapt to strange cultures, and odd ways of talking or speaking...

Just the way you adapt your English phraseology into programming phraseology... BUT Shakespeare is a lot more understandable and interesting! once you have mastered iambic pentameter, coding becomes a lot easier!!! :D

go on, google it.. :P :)

[Willy Wonka]

"... when the Economist does glance over their specific topic, the end result may be well-argued and attractively produced, but it is often distilled down to a catchy sign-off and misses many of the critical, finer points."

Unlike the Register, where provocative satire take precedence over such mere ephemera as "facts" ?

Of course, that could be the reason I read, and enjoy, the Register so much, whereas I have not looked at the Economist in ... well ... at least several fiscal years.

:) Willy W

[tiggity]

short termism

A few hundred years ago, framework knitting was a major industry in the UK, many people had a kniitting frame in their house making goods for money.

Now, 1 specialist Beeston factory that makes niche high end goods in the UK still uses them, a couple of museums have working knitting frames, their general use ended ages ago.

In general, automated machines do most of the production work that was manually done on frames.

In the future it may well be that AIs do some / most programming.

Many mainstream vocational skills deemed "significant" at any period end up being a historical footnote later on.

However, love of (& production of) literature, art, theatre, music etc. has still continued.

The "liberal arts" may well be the last bastion of humanity, due to the sheer complexity of the human condition, creating great literature will be outside the remit of automation for a lot longer than writig an app will be.

[Archie Woodnuts]

(2b||!2b)

That is the question.

With apologies for shoddy code.

[thomas k]

Blimey!

Next he'll be saying coding's more important than Arnold Bax!

[Unep Eurobats]

I always try to have them both

Writing comments in verse, by my troth.

[Jonjonz]

Fascist Values Showing

Our Fascist owned global media has always fed us a steady diet of the 1% pontificating about why they are so special and the rest of us should change to suit them.

They even believe their own drivel. Ignoring the pyramid of priviledge they sit atop, and pretending that in their system there is room at the top for more when in reality, there is not, and the whole thing depends on exploiting the other 99%.

[Catweazle666]

Yeah right...

History is bnuk - Henry Frod.

[Triggerfish]

From the article

"understanding history is interesting, even useful, but not as relevant as topics from the Economist"

Oh dear, as soon as you start claiming you cannot learn from History, you should facepalm and shut up.

[Petrea Mitchell]

Re: From the article

My thought at that quote was that I'd be hard-pressed to understand some Economist articles if I didn't have a solid grounding in history first.

[FuzzyWuzzys]

Get stuffed!

I'd rather see my children turned out as thoughtful, rounded and complete intelligent individuals, rather than mindless, one-track drones who can only do one thing and when that one thing is no longer required find themselves on the scrapheap of life.

To put it bluntly, "Jack of all trades and master of none." will ensure you are a valuable and productive member of humanity!

( Pirate flag as pirates stood for freedom of thought! )

[rhfish]

We live in a mostly Capitalist society where price signals us to produce more or less of something.

If the market signals that liberal arts graduates will mostly be working in fast food, Walmart, and Uber, best choose another major.

If you chose poorly it is immoral to compel your neighbor to subsidize your underappreciated knowledge of Frankfurt School, Feminist Naratology, or Postcolonial Studies.

[Anonymous Coward]

More code monkey slaves

Vinod Khosla would like nothing more than more naïve of tech workers to exploit. Find a promising new startup, grab stock, strangle the flow of funding, then sell fast and cheap. Employees spend years working long hours at low pay only to find out that their company is damaged goods up for sale at a bargain price.

[Anonymous Coward]

Billy Shakespeare

Yeah, totes cool man.

But how is he related to the Kardashians?

- Yoof

[jimhex]

Khosla can't write

Go read the blog entry McCarthy linked to. The one actually authored by Khosla.

It's a pathetic exhibition of bad grammar, worse logic, scattershot thinking, heaped cliches.

If his "liberal sciences" curriculum could help, he should be its first student.

But I don't think it could.

[Lammy]

Some Elizabethan dude...

A beautifully written article, and a necessary rebuke to an impoverished view of the human experience. It put me in mind of something I'd read:

... but man, proud man,

Dress'd in a little brief authority,

Most ignorant of what he's most assur'd—

His glassy essence—like an angry ape

Plays such fantastic tricks before high heaven

As makes the angels weep; who, with our spleens,

Would all themselves laugh mortal.

(Just trying to remember where that came from...)

[Pat Att]

Shakespeare? Pah!

Shakespeare is vastly over-rated in my opinion. Give me Graham Greene, Nabokov, or Charlotte Bronte anytime.

[Patras]

The_Bell_Laboratory_Science_Series

Below is a Science & Shakespeare connection...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bell_Laboratory_Science_Series

The host for the first eight films was Dr. Frank C. Baxter, a USC professor of English and television personality who played the role of "Dr. Research".

During the 1950s, his (Dr. Frank C. Baxter) program Shakespeare on TV won seven Emmy Awards. He was a professor of English at the University of Southern California.

The Strange Case of the Cosmic Rays (1957)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_wt5AFjRQo

[anonymous boring coward]

I'm sure a lot of culture I have consumed over the years have been influenced by Shakespeare, but I have never actually read Shakespeare.

Other language-culture spheres have other authors that are major influences for them.

And, besides, if Shakespeare had never existed, we would simply have something/someone else in its place.

So, yes, programming is a way more important tool, than being able to quote Shakespeare.

This is a major philosophical debate worthy of an Ali-G debate evening.