> I live in Denmark where I get paid monthly for going to university You are, of course, doubly fortunate. > the freedom to pursue intellectual curiosity i

> I live in Denmark where I get paid monthly for going to university You are, of course, doubly fortunate. > the freedom to pursue intellectual curiosity is a thing which universities offer almost unconditional unlike jobs The hypothetical awakening of a person's intelligence is a battle against much more dominant social conditioning. And then students self-select for narrowness of perspective in a programme. As you note, the job market and consumerism are fatal stages of later conformity. There is always the chance that some discussion or chance meeting will awaken a mind. But it seems far too accidental, assuming a society with libraries and recognised need for genuine public discourse. In many economies, university isn't unconditional. It has become so expensive in some cases that graduates carry heavy debt for decades. Does a person need to go to university? I would say that a person is better off reading at the library and seeking serious discussion rather than seeking credential-rewards in the edu-bubble. The shoddy mess should be rebuilt to make it a better deal. On-line learning is the only way I can see this happening.