> If school really was invented for the sole purpose of creating a generation of unthinking worker drones, then this means that everything that we believe in -

> If school really was invented for the sole purpose of creating a generation of unthinking worker drones, then this means that everything that we believe in - capitalism, the economies of scale, marketing - hinges on the creation of a dumb populace. Actually, our system was originally created to produce unthinking worker drones. It's built directly on the Prussian education system: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prussian_education_system http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prussian_education_system "The Prussian education system was a system of mandatory education dating to the early 19th century. Parts of the Prussian education system have served as models for the education systems in a number of other countries, including Japan and the United States." "Seeking to replace the controlling functions of the local aristocracy, the Prussian court attempted to instill social obedience in the citizens through indoctrination. Every individual had to become convinced, in the core of his being, that the King was just, his decisions always right, and the need for obedience paramount." "The schools imposed an official language to the prejudice of ethnic groups living in Prussia. The purpose of the system was to instill loyalty to the Crown and to train young men for the military and the bureaucracy. As the German philosopher Johann Gottlieb Fichte, a key influence on the system, said, "If you want to influence [the student] at all, you must do more than merely talk to him; you must fashion him, and fashion him in such a way that he simply cannot will otherwise than what you wish him to will." But - no, I firmly reject that the Prussian system with its heavy importance on obedience is necessary for a healthy society. I think if they announced today that they're going to dump the entire U.S. education system at the end of 2011, no transition, no new programs, nothing - a better system would emerge by 2012. > He observes that you couldn't get many employees back in the day, before the Civil War - because they were all equally entrepreneurial - meaning that they'll only stick with you for a year or two before striking it out on their own. People should move in and out of entrepreneurship and employment under others, based on what their preferences are at the time. The fact that starting your own business or working for yourself for a little while is seen as this huge deal in the States is a problem. People are in awe - "you run your own business? wow..." It shouldn't be such a big deal. You work for someone else if they've got a good thing going and you want to learn from them, or want more stability for a while. You save up some cash, and strike it on your own for a while. If you sell or close the business, maybe you get into working for someone else because you can make a meaningful contribution in their organization and the pace of work is slower and more enjoyable, or you want stability again. That's a more natural state of affairs. The current educational system with its focus on doing exactly what you're told to do is no good. We need something better.