Quote Originally Posted by Tobus View Post
Don't worry, Father Bill, you're not alone. I'm disturbed by the social backlash I've been seeing in the last few years against education and specialization. I've had this discussion with a lot of people, and it seems that in virtually every instance, those who tend to deride education are those who either (1) do not have an education, or (2) chose a field of study which has no market demand. Their arguments usually center around some personal anecdote about an educated person who was incompetent on a given subject, and so they have made their minds up that this means all education is pointless.

To be fair, institutionalized education has its issues. Even professional certification/licensing programs have their issues. But on the whole, they have value to society and the individuals who participate in them. Western society is rapidly losing its stature in the global economy due to a loss of interest in such programs. And meanwhile, other areas of the world are making huge pushes to educate their children, and we can see their industries and economies rising to the forefront. Coincidence? I think not. It simply boggles my mind that so many otherwise-intelligent people in our society can pooh-pooh education and specialization while watching this happen.

And I'm not really even addressing the comments made here in this thread. It's just more of an overall sense that I get, from talking to people in the real world, discussing issues with other people on the internet, watching popular culture around me, and even seeing it happen in my own profession. (Aside from working as an engineer, I also sit on the advisory board for a well known technical school, and I'm appalled at the careless attitude that the younger generation seems to take towards education.)
I agree with you Tobus and with Father Bill. I have long agreed with the Isaac Asimov quote too! Philosophy means a love of wisdom. It irritates me when supposedly well educated media commentators and journalists speak of an academic education as purely vocational or instrumental, and fail too grasp that such learning has intrinsic value in itself which has life affirming benefits to both the individual and wider society.