3 ms·

Because most people do? Because it's a sacred cow that you cannot criticize? Because most of the elites have elite university credentials (almost by definition

Because most people do? Because it's a sacred cow that you cannot criticize? Because most of the elites have elite university credentials (almost by definition)? e.g., see Peter Thiel's criticisms https://techcrunch.com/2011/04/10/peter-thiel-were-in-a-bubble-and-its-not-the-internet-its-higher-education/ https://techcrunch.com/2011/04/10/peter-thiel-were-in-a-bubb...

gt_ 9y ago
One of his regular points that is hardly controversial as far as I can tell. It seems solid to me. I think your summary gets at a key aspect of it too.
watwut 9y ago
Huh? For something you can not criticize, I see a lot of criticsm. Both now and in the past.
forapurpose 9y ago
> it's a sacred cow that you cannot criticize That is hardly the case; it's trendier to criticize than to defend. > Thiel Thiel has many crazy ideas, some of which lack the sophistication of an undergraduate paper. Money doesn't make you smart, but perhaps college would have helped him. (EDIT: Apparently he did go to college and graduate school; my point was mostly snark, but some education in many issues saves people from thinking they are too clever.) It's no surprise that someone who openly wants to disempower the public and eliminate democracy would be against the public becoming educated and empowered.
- war1025 9y ago
  > Money doesn't make you smart, but perhaps college would have helped him. It says in the article that he went to Stanford and Stanford Law.
- kbutler 9y ago
  It's trendy to criticize the monetary cost of higher education, but it's perceived as a near-necessity, with counter-examples being considered noteworthy ("Bill Gates and Steve Jobs dropped out of college!")
  - gowld 9y ago
    Both of those people needed a college education, just not a diploma. Steve Jobs credited Apple's phenomenal success to what he learned at liberal arts college. http://www.reed.edu/steve-jobs http://www.reed.edu/steve-jobs Bill Gates attended an elite high school and some elite college -- he was at least as formally educated as the average college grad.
- stale2002 9y ago
  The public should absolutely become educated and empowered. But what does that have to do with spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to get stuff that you could get for free from a library or online?
  - forapurpose 9y ago
    > stuff that you could get for free from a library or online You can't get a college education for free or online, or anything like it. Professors won't spend large chunks of time talking to you and working with you. You won't have access to labs, research libraries (including JSTOR), or other resources. You won't have a room full of peers to study with. (Online you can get some of those things, but not all and IIRC the research shows it seldom works out the same.)b

gt_ 9y ago

One of his regular points that is hardly controversial as far as I can tell. It seems solid to me. I think your summary gets at a key aspect of it too.

watwut 9y ago

Huh? For something you can not criticize, I see a lot of criticsm. Both now and in the past.

forapurpose 9y ago

> it's a sacred cow that you cannot criticize That is hardly the case; it's trendier to criticize than to defend. > Thiel Thiel has many crazy ideas, some of which lack the sophistication of an undergraduate paper. Money doesn't make you smart, but perhaps college would have helped him. (EDIT: Apparently he did go to college and graduate school; my point was mostly snark, but some education in many issues saves people from thinking they are too clever.) It's no surprise that someone who openly wants to disempower the public and eliminate democracy would be against the public becoming educated and empowered.

war1025 9y ago
> Money doesn't make you smart, but perhaps college would have helped him. It says in the article that he went to Stanford and Stanford Law.
kbutler 9y ago
It's trendy to criticize the monetary cost of higher education, but it's perceived as a near-necessity, with counter-examples being considered noteworthy ("Bill Gates and Steve Jobs dropped out of college!")
- gowld 9y ago
  Both of those people needed a college education, just not a diploma. Steve Jobs credited Apple's phenomenal success to what he learned at liberal arts college. http://www.reed.edu/steve-jobs http://www.reed.edu/steve-jobs Bill Gates attended an elite high school and some elite college -- he was at least as formally educated as the average college grad.
stale2002 9y ago
The public should absolutely become educated and empowered. But what does that have to do with spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to get stuff that you could get for free from a library or online?
- forapurpose 9y ago
  > stuff that you could get for free from a library or online You can't get a college education for free or online, or anything like it. Professors won't spend large chunks of time talking to you and working with you. You won't have access to labs, research libraries (including JSTOR), or other resources. You won't have a room full of peers to study with. (Online you can get some of those things, but not all and IIRC the research shows it seldom works out the same.)b