Generally, I agree with this. But if everybody were to adopt that philosophy, eventually we'd get to the point where nobody could actually implement the calculations for those high level concepts. And then what happens when you need to update the software that's been doing all of that for you?
Does everybody need to know how to calculate? Probably not, above arithmetic and some basic algebra. But a lot of people do, and that needs to be included in their education somewhere.
You're probably aware of all that, but I felt it warrants making explicit.
I think speleding is onto something, though: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2213985
We all believe that calculations need to be taught first, but maybe it is not necessary. Learning the calculations after the bigger concepts has its own advantages. Everyone could start with general education, and those that need it could be taught the more advanced (or one might say, basic) calculations.
It worked very well for me personally and gave me quite a few "A-HA" moments. I'm not sure it helped with my driving however ;-)
Yes, but one simple computer animation could give you the same understanding of the engine as if you had built the engine yourself. Computers can give you an understanding of calculations in addition to doing the work.
> I don't believe one can conceptually understand a topic without understanding the fundamentals that it builds upon.
This is probably the biggest argument against using computers to calculate for you. However, if you haven't already, watch Wolfram's video that I linked to above as he clearly explains how this belief is not necessarily true. The very rudimentary basics will need to be learned by calculating, but anything above the fundamentals can be understood without the calculations.
> Similarly, there are pushes to move more "computer learning" into grade school, despite extremely poor reading and math proficiency.
I think this computer learning is different than the learning I'm talking about. Schools currently use computers as a medium to enhance the current education system. They use them to make calculating more interactive and fun. I think that computers should actually do the calculations, rather than "tricking" the students into doing the work.