Thursday, May 20, 2010

The Way We Think Now

From a New York Times article on the notion that not getting getting a college education is the best thing for some people:

Professor Vedder likes to ask why 15 percent of mail carriers have bachelor’s degrees, according to a 1999 federal study.

“Some of them could have bought a house for what they spent on their education,” he said.

Because everyone knows financial gain is the only reason anyone should have for pursuing higher education. It's not as if knowledge is a good in and of itself.


2 comments:

3goodrats said...

One could argue that what you are paying for is the degree. If the degree isn't needed, one could save the money and become educated through self-study (say, at your local public library!) Of course, some of us need the imposed discipline of a classroom environment.

Kevin said...

I take your point, but you are also paying for the environment in which you get the degree: you get an education not just by reading books, but through discussing ideas and issues with professors and peers. And the latter is actually indispensable, in my opinion.

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