LordShiva and DaShi's homework: Teh Disadvantages of Elite Education

[Arrian]

Originally posted by GePap


Under what moral or metaphysical system is a person's worth based on their intelligence or education?

Agreed, though he included lazy people. That's a bit different, don't you think? One certainly can't blame a person for not winning the intelligence lottery at birth, or the socioeconomic status lottery. But being lazy is something a moral system can look down upon.

-Arrian

[GePap]

Originally posted by Arrian


Agreed, though he included lazy people. That's a bit different, don't you think? One certainly can't blame a person for not winning the intelligence lottery at birth, or the socioeconomic status lottery. But being lazy is something a moral system can look down upon.

-Arrian

Even if a person is lazy, they are still metaphysically and moraly of equal worth. After all, you don't get less prison time for killing someone who is lazy than someone who is a worker bee. As a society we might view "laziness" negatively, but that doesn't change the value that our moral or metaphysical system places on the individual as individual.

[GePap]

Originally posted by Victor Galis
OK... I totally fail to understand the problem the author seems to find. He can't relate to people who are completely different to... that's normal. The plumber is equally unequipped to make small talk with the intellectual. Oh NOES!1! There are people on the planet you can't relate to.

The point the author is trying to make is that part of the reason you would get a Liberal Education is to give you the flexibility of mind to be able to handle such a situation, unlike say, someone who hasn't had that kind of education.

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by Arrian
Agreed, though he included lazy people. That's a bit different, don't you think? One certainly can't blame a person for not winning the intelligence lottery at birth, or the socioeconomic status lottery. But being lazy is something a moral system can look down upon.

Why? I mean, that's just not winning the hard-working personality lottery.

[Ben Kenobi]

That is one hell of an argument in favour of teaching degrees that go unused -- because it's cheaper.

Did you hone your critical thinking skills during your history degree?

Students enrolled in Arts are actually a net positive to the university, in that they bring in more then it costs to run their programs.

Sciences on the other hand are just the opposite.

Why would you cut out your cash cow?

[Asher]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi


Students enrolled in Arts are actually a net positive to the university, in that they bring in more then it costs to run their programs.

Sciences on the other hand are just the opposite.

Why would you cut out your cash cow?

What the ****.

Source for arts programs being a "cash cow"?

[Ben Kenobi]

Program costs are less then the students pay in tuition.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
Program costs are less then the students pay in tuition.

Source that tuition > costs?

I just realize the concept of sourcing may be foreign to you. Google it.

I'm not sure why you think CS students cost so much more. When I was in school we used 6 year old computers, assuredly they were cheaper than the Macs the arts faculties had...

[Ben Kenobi]

Source that tuition > costs?

I just realize the concept of sourcing may be foreign to you. Google it.

Give me some time and I'll get real numbers from an actual college admin.

I'm not sure why you think CS students cost so much more. When I was in school we used 6 year old computers, assuredly they were cheaper than the Macs the arts faculties had...

I never said CS majors, I said science majors in general.

When I was in school, the only computers we saw in our program were the ones in the library. CS students require actual labs. History majors don't.

[Victor Galis]

Originally posted by Arrian


Agreed, though he included lazy people. That's a bit different, don't you think? One certainly can't blame a person for not winning the intelligence lottery at birth, or the socioeconomic status lottery. But being lazy is something a moral system can look down upon.

Is it really? That might also be based on genetic and environmental factors.

The point the author is trying to make is that part of the reason you would get a Liberal Education is to give you the flexibility of mind to be able to handle such a situation, unlike say, someone who hasn't had that kind of education.

But why? Why is it important to make meaningless small talk? Chances are, if you had nothing in common with them before, you'll have nothing in common with them after. That's not a flaw in the teaching.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi

I never said CS majors, I said science majors in general.

When I was in school, the only computers we saw in our program were the ones in the library. CS students require actual labs. History majors don't.

You must've gone to some pretty lame-ass school. All faculties all have labs, computers are essential for everyone.

God damnit, I'm getting bored ripping you new ones. You're like swiss cheese.

[GePap]

Originally posted by Victor Galis


But why? Why is it important to make meaningless small talk? Chances are, if you had nothing in common with them before, you'll have nothing in common with them after. That's not a flaw in the teaching.

The issue is not one of having decided to speak to the plumber or not, its the fact that the professor felt that even if he wanted to, he couldn't. It is an issue of skills.

IF you wanted to speak to the plumber, could you actually engage in a conversation, or would you be so close minded that it would be impossible? That is what the professor brings up, that even if your average elite school student had a plumber at home and felt the compulsion to converse with the plumber, they would actually lack the skills to really hold a conversation with the plumber.

[Kuciwalker]

I don't think any sort of traditional liberal arts education is going to impart those skills...

[GePap]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker
I don't think any sort of traditional liberal arts education is going to impart those skills...

I don't know: while basic sociability and empathy would be important, and I agree that those things aren't things one can 'learn' (if by this we mean gained by the aquisition of certain data), a respect for the possible validity of someone elses experiences is an intellectual viewpoint that can be fostered with the right educational environment.

[Kuciwalker]

I don't think that respect is necessarily lacking. I certainly don't see any relation between it and the stuff the author is trying to bring back.

In fact, I suspect back when universities did teach the way the author wants, graduates had an even harder time relating to the help.