toluxa1:

but where in the article does it say she is Nigerian?

PhysicsMHD:

I disagree. The Arabs didn't create Greek science, but they definitely improved upon it and appreciated it.

"In Islamic culture, 'philosophy' (in the sense of a continuation Greek philosophy) was somewhat suspect. It never gained a foothold in publically supported educational institutions, it was never well connected with any profession (in contrast with western Europe after the 12th century, where philosophy was the main subject in Arts faculties of the universities). The subject best established in medieval Islamic education was the study of the law (i.e. of the religious law). The extracts from Averroes in the Readings are from The Decisive Treatise Determining the Nature of the Connection between Religion and Philosophy, in which Averroes tries to show (with a readership of lawyers primarily in mind) that philosophy is a legitmate study for Muslims - indeed, that it is the highest form of religion. Like Alfarabi, and like Plato, Averroes envisages a state in which philosophers are the elite. The extracts are from the translation by G.F. Hourani in A. Hyman and J.J. Walsh, Philosophy in the Middle Ages (B721.P48), p. 287 ff)"

The Western Europeans didn't create Greek science or Islamic science, but they improved upon it and appreciated it to the point that we casually assume that they are its founders or that they have some sort of closer relationship than others to ideas and truths that would always exist regardless of whether they (the Western Europeans) ever existed.

In mathematics, for example, can somebody who wants to be a mathematician fail to have a deep appreciation and connection to math simply because it's garbed in the language of a different culture? I can't see that happening. The knowledge in that field is too universal.

And nobody has a monopoly on creating philosophy or ideology, either. There's nothing stopping significant African (Nigerian, specifically) philosophers/ideologues/social theorists from emerging.

The other point against your argument is, why were the Chinese, Japanese, the Ashkenazi Jews, and some other groups able to do so well in these areas, despite the fact that they did not originally have a cultural or emotional connection to the foundations of Western science and education?

We just need to adapt to the race and global competition. Like they said, it's like we're being left behind while the world moves past us.

Kilode?!:

Our competitors ain't silly though. I don't bet on them slowing down to give us a chance to catch up and blend in.

ekt_bear:


They don't have a choice in the matter, really. Here is a plot of the GDP growth rate of Italy:
http://www.google.com/publicdata?ds=wb-wdi&met=ny_gdp_mktp_kd_zg&idim=country:ITA&dl=en&hl=en&q=gdp+growth+rate+of+italy

Here is one of Nigeria:
http://www.google.com/publicdata?ds=wb-wdi&met=ny_gdp_mktp_kd_zg&idim=country:NGA&dl=en&hl=en&q=gdp+growth+rate+of+nigeria

Eventually, we will catch up. Might be 500 years from now. . . but that is fine by me 

If by modernizing now I can speed up the process for my descendants and reduce it from 500 years to 200, I'll definitely go ahead and do whatever it takes.

Kilode?!:

The differences between those two graphs actually got me ROFL, Italy looks sad

Let's not get carried away though, they still have these: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/global500/2010/countries/Italy.html

The faith we have in our ability to persevere and adapt is legendary.

I agree though, we should not slow down and sulk because we lost some ground, that will only keep us further behind. Anyway, I wish us luck, strength and Godspeed.

ekt_bear:

6% GDP growth rate over the next 50 years isn't impossible (well, might be, but let's pretend it isn't ) If Italy is doing 1% over that time period. . . .then our GDP inceases by a factor of 18.4, Italy's by only 1.64

Exponential growth is a powerful thing

@Topic, what's up with Yale rejecting this girl? why are they so snobbish? I heard they only admit borderline lunatics and kids with weird Einstein-like academic profiles.

tpia@:

Hopefully the girl wont be compelled to not date outside her ethnicity.

namfav:

well done, is she from the north or swest?

namfav:

well done, is she from the north or swest?

zstranger:

You are so annoying?

Do you even need to ask?

15, Harvard, NJ, near perfect SAT, Harvard, articulate.    .   .  you see that combination and you still ask your silly question?

Just to humor you, she is from the SW, Osun-State, as expected. She could not have been from the North. no way!

ekt_bear:

zstranger: Remember the[b] Northern entrepreneurs in Canada[/b] from a few days ago? You'd imagine that their kids could be of the same caliber.

zstranger:

You are so annoying?

Do you even need to ask?

15, Harvard, NJ, near perfect SAT, Harvard, articulate.    .   .  you see that combination and you still ask your silly question?

Just to humor you, she is from the SW, Osun-State, as expected. She could not have been from the North. no way!

Now, I'm not sure how credible the authors are, but the conclusions there supports the assertion that; maybe a deeper cultural connection to the dominant Philosophy (at least the ones driving the knowledge of the age we live in) is necessary for a greater exploitation of the benefits of western science and a deeper appreciation for it's value beyond "paper certificate" bragging  rights. I believe that the closer your are to it culturally and emotionally, the better you will fare and the farther it will drive you

namfav:

please, what does that have to do with where she is from

MzDarkSkin:

Ppl like her should be our
role models not video vixens and rapper groupies.  

zstranger:

Like you dont already know that Hausas are mentally inferior to Yorubas and Igbos

I dont have the time to entertain your silliness.

This is a well known fact that you can easily Google-up.

Anyhoo, she is Yoruba. She could not have been anything else, maybe Edo or Igbo, but then she would not have had it that good. the fact that her father is an academic and her near perfect SAT tell the story.  She just has to be Yoruba.

Anyhoo, I am out.

ekt_bear:

You disapprove of "shake dat azz ho"? 

BIG TIME! I dance myself but at home. MAYBE at parties but I couldn't imagine showing my arse on tv
and showing what myself, my man, and my doctor are supposed to see, to the world!  Sadly young girls aspire to be that type. 

namfav:

in your dreams, inferior to yorubas and ibos based on what? tell us, based on what? and since when?

i'll be waiting