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| | 2. What do you like about Thomas Edison, and do you think homeschooling him created enormous wealth? | | 2. What do you like about Thomas Edison, and do you think homeschooling him created enormous wealth? |
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| | + | :What I like about Thomas Edison was his perseverance. During his last years at Menlo Park, he was attempting to construct an electric-powered car, but could not find a way to build a battery which would hold enough charge to power a car without having to recharge ridiculously often. After spending $1,000,000 and more than a year, he succeeded in building one, but by then the gasoline-powered car was in general use—his car was a waste of time. (Duncan B.) |
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| | : ... [W]hat I find most amazing about him is his work ethic. Very few people can even bear to do as much work as he did, let alone recognize the necessity of work and maybe even enjoy it. "Do you think homeschooling him created enormous wealth?" Well, I’m sure being homeschooled helped to form his character, focus on his interests, and live up to his full potential. He probably wouldn’t have invented so much or had so great a work ethic if he hadn’t had to basically educate himself. ... (Addison DM) | | : ... [W]hat I find most amazing about him is his work ethic. Very few people can even bear to do as much work as he did, let alone recognize the necessity of work and maybe even enjoy it. "Do you think homeschooling him created enormous wealth?" Well, I’m sure being homeschooled helped to form his character, focus on his interests, and live up to his full potential. He probably wouldn’t have invented so much or had so great a work ethic if he hadn’t had to basically educate himself. ... (Addison DM) |
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| | :... the American government itself has encouraged inventiveness by providing the patent system to ensure that inventors receive the money that they deserve for their efforts. (Rachel N.) | | :... the American government itself has encouraged inventiveness by providing the patent system to ensure that inventors receive the money that they deserve for their efforts. (Rachel N.) |
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| | + | :The United States was the first country in the world where the inventor of something had a period where only he could produce the item—called a patent. Without this, no one has an incentive to make something new—other people simply take it. This is why few inventions come out of communist countries. (Duncan B.) |
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| | :I think the huge amount of freedom (freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom of pretty much any BELIEF or idea!) that American's have encouraged and still encourages people everywhere to invent new things! ... (Deborah B.) | | :I think the huge amount of freedom (freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom of pretty much any BELIEF or idea!) that American's have encouraged and still encourages people everywhere to invent new things! ... (Deborah B.) |