Observations on education
There are two basic kinds of educated people, whether the education comes from a college, a library, or the well-known 'school of hard knocks' so beloved of allegedly self-made men...
The selfish educated gained an education to further their own lot in life, and actively discourage the education of others to reduce the competition they may have to face in life. An educated customer is harder to cheat, and an educated voter is harder to trick with emotional appeals and logical fantasies based on false premises.
The selfless educated gained an education to further their own lot in life, and actively encourage the education of others, so that those others may gain the same benefits that education can provide. To the selfless educated, any increase in the competition they may face is compensated for by the benefits they will receive from living in an educated society. This is a direct threat to the selfish educated, as their own economic and social strategy relies on reducing the average educational level in society. The selfish educated often present the selfless educated as ivory-tower intellectuals, liberal elitists, or condescending know-it-alls, to discourage others from pursuing a education of their own.
Where education of others is entrenched, the selfish educated strive to ensure the curriculum includes only 'practical' material, with a minimum of liberal arts subjects, or any requirement for critical thinking skills. Where possible, the selfish educated strive to encourage the teaching of religious doctrine on a equal footing with science, because said religious doctrine requires students to put aside their critical thinking skills and accept unfounded assertions as fact.
The selfish educated gained an education to further their own lot in life, and actively discourage the education of others to reduce the competition they may have to face in life. An educated customer is harder to cheat, and an educated voter is harder to trick with emotional appeals and logical fantasies based on false premises.
The selfless educated gained an education to further their own lot in life, and actively encourage the education of others, so that those others may gain the same benefits that education can provide. To the selfless educated, any increase in the competition they may face is compensated for by the benefits they will receive from living in an educated society. This is a direct threat to the selfish educated, as their own economic and social strategy relies on reducing the average educational level in society. The selfish educated often present the selfless educated as ivory-tower intellectuals, liberal elitists, or condescending know-it-alls, to discourage others from pursuing a education of their own.
Where education of others is entrenched, the selfish educated strive to ensure the curriculum includes only 'practical' material, with a minimum of liberal arts subjects, or any requirement for critical thinking skills. Where possible, the selfish educated strive to encourage the teaching of religious doctrine on a equal footing with science, because said religious doctrine requires students to put aside their critical thinking skills and accept unfounded assertions as fact.