"I resent the person who, without having done much homework in libraries, thinks that he is onto something rather original and insightful on a given subject matter"
— Nassim Taleb, Fooled by Randomness
An educated young man likes to think; he likes ideas for their own sake and likes to deal with them disinterestedly and objectively. He will find this taste an expensive one, much beyond his means, because the society around him is thoroughly indisposed towards anything of the kind. It is preeminently a society, as John Stuart Mill said, in which the test of a great mind is agreeing in the opinions of small minds. In any department of American life this is indeed the only final test; and this fact is in turn a fair measure of the extent to which our society is inimical to thought. The president of Columbia University is reported in the press as having said the other day that “thinking is one of the most unpopular amusements of the human race. Men hate it largely because they can not do it. They hate it because if they enter upon it as a vocation or avocation it is likely to interfere with what they are doing.” This is an interesting admission for the president of Columbia to make - interesting and striking. Circumstances have enabled our society to get along rather prosperously, though by no means creditably, without thought and without regard for thought, proceeding merely by a series of improvisations; hence it has always instinctively resented thought, as likely to interfere with what it was doing. Therefore, the young person who has cultivated the ability to think and the taste for thinking is at a decided disadvantage, for this resentment is now stronger and more heavily concentrated than it ever was.
—Albert J. Nock
“People with degrees get better paying jobs” vs. “More highly educated people get better paying jobs”
With each class I become more and more bothered by the students attending universities. Many of these kids pay for a piece of paper rather than an education. And, honestly, they think that this piece of paper is going to be very beneficial to them, disregarding the information required to perform such tasks that demand such education.
“C’s get degrees,” they say. They avoid constructive conversations in class, those conversations that challenge their beliefs and superstitions. Instead, they say, “I just want to finish the course. [And get it over with.]”
While these students exist in greater numbers these days, due to the social push of everyone buying into the student loan bubble, saying things like “people with degrees get higher paying jobs,” instead of, “more highly educated people get better paying jobs,” there are still those of us who wish to actually learn and be challenged. The problem with the current “higher education” climate is that those of us who are actually seeking an education instead of a degree are the small minority.
In my Political Science class this afternoon a statistic was brought up revealing pay differences between males and females. As I always do, I questioned the data. I asked questions such as “In calculating that percentage were the hours worked by both sexes taken into consideration” and “How old is this statistic?” After questioning the data and giving rational reasons to question the data, the professor asked if anyone was bothered by this information. A girl responded, “yeah, I’m angry about it.” And I quickly responded, “about the data, or something I said?” She said it was something I said. I then asked her what about it bothered her. Rather than addressing it and entering into a constructive conversation for her, the class and me, she responded with “I just want to finish the course.”
To me, this type of student is the type of student who is paying for a degree rather than an education, would rather stay in her box than question her beliefs, would rather avoid all conflict than use it to her advantage. This is the type of student that contributes nothing to the class. This is the type of student that, if I were a professor, a teacher, a mentor, I would wish not to have.
I am paying for an education, not a degree. I wish to learn, not stay in a bubble. I wish to see things from the perspectives of others, as I hope they would do. However, it seems this is too much to ask of the ignorant collective of sheep which make up the assemblage of students.
I apologize for being so absent lately. I’ve been busy dealing with pseudo-intellectuals* in college.
*someone who would rather look intelligent than be intelligent; someone who would rather have a degree than an education
Today,
someone said that the right to an education is in the Constitution.
It is in the Founding Documents. But it’s not a right to a free education; it’s a right to get an education. The means of achieving that education is not guaranteed at the expense of someone else’s life, liberty or property. But, the right to have an education, as any other part of life, liberty and property, is protected.
However, just as a free cell phone isn’t granted, but my right to own my cell phone is protected, neither is a free education granted, but the right to have an education is protected.
Rights are protected—not granted.
(Source: antigovernmentextremist)
The Department of Education needs the boot.
For all monetary inquiries, one should take inflation into account. I’m not saying that I’m for the increase of tax-payer dollars used on education. However, I am noting that everything is misunderstood and miscalculated due to inflation.
(Source: antigovernmentextremist, via alexholzbach)
I really want to be done with school soon. I’m senior standing but have a few semesters left for a degree, since I’ve changed degrees so many times. The only problem I have is school interfering with my learning. Since I have to dedicate time to doing tedious homework assignments, my time available to dedicate to studying Austrian Economics and Political “Science” is greatly reduced.
I’m going to withdraw from some courses, and lower my class-load to 12 credits this semester. I don’t have time to read “Meltdown,” “The Anti-Federalist Papers,” “Economics in One Lesson,” “Economic Thought Before Adam Smith,” “What Has Government Done To Our Money?,” “The 33 Questions About American History You’re Not Supposed To Ask” and school at the same time. I really need to get my priorities straight: knowledge first, piece of paper (aka diploma) second.
