On Wed, 21 Sep 2011 22:42:13 +0200, andrel wrote:

> On 21-9-2011 5:58, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> On Wed, 21 Sep 2011 00:27:48 +0200, andrel wrote:
>>
>>> Just a quick note: competitiveness is partly cultural. In some
>>> countries students compete with every other student and the percentage
>>> of students that pass is fixed. In other countries you pass if you
>>> meet a certain level.
>>
>> I think competitiveness is part of human nature.  Competition to find
>> the 'best' mate, for example - something that drives the race to
>> continue.
> 
> I do not remember to have competed with any other person for a mate. I
> mean, sure it is a competition, but an abstract one. Finding a mate is
> entering a multidimensional competition where you don't know on what
> quality you will be scored and the rules change unpredictably during the
> competition. And the same silliness applies to that mate. (I think we
> might be the only species where we have simultaneous sexual selection on
> both genders, though no doubt Gilles will know a counterexample).

I don't mean like a "gameshow" type of competition (though arguably those 
*do* exist).

But it is a competition, as you said.....

> Defending a system where your scores are compared to your fellow
> students (including your friends) and only a certain percentage pass, by
> referring to this sort of abstract competition is plain silly.

I wasn't defending the system, I was pointing out that competitiveness is 
a part of human nature, and provided one example.

> I think Andy said it better than me. The balance between encouraging
> competition or cooperation differs between countries and cultures.

Sure, it does vary from place to place, but competition is still there 
regardless of the culture or country.

The degree may well (and does) vary.

Jim

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