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I didn't miss your point, I just didn't re-iterate it. I am in agreement with you, but I am pessimistic. I think we are in trouble. Regarding intellectuals at

I didn't miss your point, I just didn't re-iterate it. I am in agreement with you, but I am pessimistic. I think we are in trouble. Regarding intellectuals at university, I also met a handful, and I bet the school I went to was much worse than yours. That said, it seems hard to argue that advanced education in the USA is promoted as a place for intellectual advancement. At best, university is marketed as a way to get a better job. At worst, it's the place where Girls Go Wild.

timr 16y ago
"I didn't miss your point, I just didn't re-iterate it. I am in agreement with you, but I am pessimistic. I think we are in trouble." Fair enough. Sorry for misunderstanding. I was/am mainly replying to the general anti-intellectual attitude on this thread, but I did misinterpret the tone of your remark (I was under the impression that you thought it was okay that white-collar jobs might be diminishing). "it seems hard to argue that advanced education in the USA is promoted as a place for intellectual advancement. At best, university is marketed as a way to get a better job. At worst, it's the place where Girls Go Wild." I think that the marketing strongly depends on the school, but yes, some schools do focus on promoting the career training aspect of college. Nevertheless, my feeling is that (with the exception of schools like ITT and the University of Phoenix) the marketing is distinct from the experience. Once you're in college, you've got huge opportunities for learning that you wouldn't otherwise. The people in this forum who dismiss college as an unnecessary affectation of the elite scare me. It's one thing to be philosophical about the value of a philosophy degree, but it's totally another to assume that college is useless because you can always get work as a plumber (or a coder). I don't think they realize how much the well-being of plumbers (and coders) depends on the people who create new knowledge and technology at universities.

timr 16y ago

"I didn't miss your point, I just didn't re-iterate it. I am in agreement with you, but I am pessimistic. I think we are in trouble." Fair enough. Sorry for misunderstanding. I was/am mainly replying to the general anti-intellectual attitude on this thread, but I did misinterpret the tone of your remark (I was under the impression that you thought it was okay that white-collar jobs might be diminishing). "it seems hard to argue that advanced education in the USA is promoted as a place for intellectual advancement. At best, university is marketed as a way to get a better job. At worst, it's the place where Girls Go Wild." I think that the marketing strongly depends on the school, but yes, some schools do focus on promoting the career training aspect of college. Nevertheless, my feeling is that (with the exception of schools like ITT and the University of Phoenix) the marketing is distinct from the experience. Once you're in college, you've got huge opportunities for learning that you wouldn't otherwise. The people in this forum who dismiss college as an unnecessary affectation of the elite scare me. It's one thing to be philosophical about the value of a philosophy degree, but it's totally another to assume that college is useless because you can always get work as a plumber (or a coder). I don't think they realize how much the well-being of plumbers (and coders) depends on the people who create new knowledge and technology at universities.