Basic problem solving. Even just the ability to Google something seems to be lost on so many people.
Basic troubleshooting and repair knowledge. Like just how to use a multimeter and the basics of how electricity works and how to repair something.
Honestly just basic knowledge of everything in our daily lives would be useful. People should understand how their phone works and how it gets internet access, how their car works, and stuff like that.
A sense of community, at least in the states. We have become a nation of de facto sovereign citizens, everyone competing with everyone. A society can’t last long without social responsibility.
I think that we should require more humanities courses for STEM degrees. I had to take some english courses but that was about it. Seems like a lot of STEM-lords (particularly the computer ones) need to take a cultural anthropology course and chill out a little. Or philosophy but that risks making them worse.
If ethics courses actually worked business majors would be much more priority no?
Reading the screen.
Seriously, about 90% of computer problems would be solved if people just read the fucking screen.
Critical Thinking Skills
Map reading/Orienteering - Most people are literally lost without GPS
Manners.
It’s true. Habitually saying “please.” thank you," “hello” to people can open a lot of doors. Also, it’s just amazing in an awful way just how many people are not doing this.
Listening.
Critical thinking. Religion and our education system beat curiosity out of people and they end up being unable to process information on their own.
Also driving. People can’t stay in their own lanes, stop three car lengths from an intersection because they don’t understand that the ‘see the tires in front of you’ made sense in low sedans with sloped hoods and not their massive SUVs with flat hood, and don’t bother signaling when changing lanes slowly.
One thing many forget about critical thinking is to also be critical of your own thoughts as well. Too many people think it’s only about attacking other people’s opinion.
Critical thinking. Religion and our education system beat curiosity out of people
And now AI is here to run cleanup on any critical thinking those two haven’t already destroyed.
and don’t bother signaling when changing lanes slowly
I always love playing the road trip game of “Are they changing lanes slowly without signaling, or are they fucking with their phone and just drifting?” 😠
Oof yes and don’t get me started on roundabouts.
Is nuance a skill?
Like, the world isn’t black and white, left and right, right and wrong, etc, but too many people want to simplify complex issues down into binary choices and leave out any trace of nuance.
We live in a hyperbolic age. People’s attention has been commodified so almost all messaging is exaggerated to pull attention to one pole or another. Nuance and patient, thoughtful debate can’t live in that atmosphere.
Not to mention we’re in a period of morality panic. We’ve been brainwashed to think there are only good and bad, either with us on all thoughts or against. We’ve been sucked into a hard lined good vs. evil plot, except everyone is wrong.
Are you really claiming that ALL messages are exaggerated and that thoughtful debate can NEVER exist???
😜
Clutches
pearlshyperboles
Maybe related: The ability to understand complete statements and considering the context, instead of latching onto one phrase and ignoring the rest.
Not sure if it’s an actual skill, but it certainly is a trait that fits this question. It’s gotten so bad that I tend to tag people with “Nuanced” if they’ve proven to understand this, so that I know they’re actually reasonable if I see them in a discussion over a controversial topic.
It’s like we live in a floating point world, and too many people are only capable of dealing with integers lol.
I’m stealing this.
I wish I could do this with the web version. I’d like to tag people “Made sense once - don’t block”
We’re living in a particularly toxic time, and splitting is a reversion
I agree, and I’d say the backing skill is emotional maturity or emotional management
Somewhat related is the belief that things are simple rather than complex. I’d argue that thinking something is simple - or believing you have a solid understanding of it - should be a red flag that you probably don’t know as much as you think. I mean, when have you ever heard a true expert give a short and simple answer to anything?
Basic it skills
literacy, and essay writing. they almost neve rpush it MS or HS anymore.
Listening and empathy. Putting themselves in others’ shoes instead of just seeing/speaking/thinking about I, me and myself.
Critical thinking.
They should teach basic philosophy in schools; common formal fallacies and such.
They teach it at Turkish schools.
But then the eletorate would actually be making good decisions, how would the rich afford their 10th yacht?