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Define "better"? I'd argue that the general lack of critical thought, ethics, and compassion for humanity in general - including those with rarefied STEM degre

Define "better"? I'd argue that the general lack of critical thought, ethics, and compassion for humanity in general - including those with rarefied STEM degrees - is a direct result of not enough liberal arts classes during college. Then again, twenty-five years ago I wouldn't have even entertained the idea that more liberal education classes for me would serve me and the world around me better. It wasn't until I started reading those books out of curiosity later in life that I really appreciated their value.

craftinator 8y ago
Your last paragraph really sums up my perception of the liberal arts courses I was required to take: they don't have value at this point in my life. They are a large waste of time, and a massive waste of money. I would be quite happy taking those courses later on in life, at my leiser, when the opportunity cost they incur is not nearly so high.
- mythrwy 8y ago
  Or not at all in some cases. Too much of that stuff is indoctrination and opinion being passed off as education as of late. It results in people who believe they are "educated" because they have learned to hold certain opinions. And judging others "education" by the opinions they hold rather than fact that they know. That isn't to say an understanding of history, of languages etc isn't worth having, it certainly is. Some of the other stuff not so much. Additionally, the sad reality on the ground often is a person is judged as educated by the display of indoctrination they receive, so practically speaking, at this point in time it does have some value can open doors. But that's kind of BS really imo, and I don't care for it.
  - craftinator 8y ago
    Ahhhh this is a whole new can of worms. I have a personal anecdote about the educational indoctrination issue as well: I transferred colleges between 2nd and 3rd year. My new university's registration system would not allow me to register for classes until I'd completed their "Cultural Inclusivity Module". This was about 6 hours of clicking through a pretty (but disfunctional) web app which would have you read several pages, then ask you 10 questions. If you missed more than one, it would put you back on the first page, forcing you to do a minimum timed rereading of the content. The module was entirely fluff about how I am not allowed to perform microagressions against cultural ideas that I disagree with, even if they are despicable. It was full of factual errors, incomplete sentences and ideas, and the best of all, sometimes at the end of a section when I went to submit my answers, the submit button would be grayed out, forcing me to go through the mind fucking content again. I ended up refusing to do it, had a conference with the dean where I explained that no where in my obligations to the school did I agree to perform classes for no credit, against my will, while paying for them. Twas quite a time to be alive!

craftinator 8y ago

Your last paragraph really sums up my perception of the liberal arts courses I was required to take: they don't have value at this point in my life. They are a large waste of time, and a massive waste of money. I would be quite happy taking those courses later on in life, at my leiser, when the opportunity cost they incur is not nearly so high.

mythrwy 8y ago
Or not at all in some cases. Too much of that stuff is indoctrination and opinion being passed off as education as of late. It results in people who believe they are "educated" because they have learned to hold certain opinions. And judging others "education" by the opinions they hold rather than fact that they know. That isn't to say an understanding of history, of languages etc isn't worth having, it certainly is. Some of the other stuff not so much. Additionally, the sad reality on the ground often is a person is judged as educated by the display of indoctrination they receive, so practically speaking, at this point in time it does have some value can open doors. But that's kind of BS really imo, and I don't care for it.
- craftinator 8y ago
  Ahhhh this is a whole new can of worms. I have a personal anecdote about the educational indoctrination issue as well: I transferred colleges between 2nd and 3rd year. My new university's registration system would not allow me to register for classes until I'd completed their "Cultural Inclusivity Module". This was about 6 hours of clicking through a pretty (but disfunctional) web app which would have you read several pages, then ask you 10 questions. If you missed more than one, it would put you back on the first page, forcing you to do a minimum timed rereading of the content. The module was entirely fluff about how I am not allowed to perform microagressions against cultural ideas that I disagree with, even if they are despicable. It was full of factual errors, incomplete sentences and ideas, and the best of all, sometimes at the end of a section when I went to submit my answers, the submit button would be grayed out, forcing me to go through the mind fucking content again. I ended up refusing to do it, had a conference with the dean where I explained that no where in my obligations to the school did I agree to perform classes for no credit, against my will, while paying for them. Twas quite a time to be alive!