> One thing I like about HN is professional discourse and debate, rather than the utter chaos that conversations in other fora devolve into. I agree. I actuall

> One thing I like about HN is professional discourse and debate, rather than the utter chaos that conversations in other fora devolve into. I agree. I actually don't think we disagree on a lot besides pedantic disagreements outside the original discussion. That said... :) > Top universities in the world are not in China because of many many reasons. Some reasons are: I know the reasons, that you. Those questions were rethorical. But please take a step back and see the discussion in context. If what nopinsight says is true, how come a society that valued education for millennia doesn't have the best universities today? Answer, nopinsight is wrong, Confucianism isn't about social mobility at all, it's the opposite, the obsession with grades and exams is relatively recent. > Please don't quote me out of context. By even, my intention was that people who are trying hard to make ends meet, who don't have the basic necessities of life ... still understand that getting an education, which takes time and has no immediate alleviating benefits, can help them and is a path out of poverty. I did not intend to imply that they are somehow a lesser class of people, as you seem to imply with that statement. Yes, my entire thread is basically defending poor people. They aren't stupid, they know education is important, they just can't invest long term. I don't understand why you are arguing with me.