Sadly these days the ability to read and write is insufficient in order to be an informed citizen because of how complex our media world is. One really needs t

Sadly these days the ability to read and write is insufficient in order to be an informed citizen because of how complex our media world is. One really needs to have some solid critical thinking skills in order to be able to judge the overall reliability and trustworthiness of a book, article, tweet, news episode, etc. And ideally have some fundamental historical knowledge, basic math, logic, fundamentals of science, etc. Id argue many Americans are, through no fault of their own, not well-educated. EDIT: I cribbed from Noam Chomskys description of what it means to be educated: https://www.openculture.com/2016/04/noam-chomsky-defines-what-it-means-to-be-a-truly-educated-person.html https://www.openculture.com/2016/04/noam-chomsky-defines-wha... 'Humboldt, Chomsky says, “argued, I think, very plausibly, that the core principle and requirement of a fulfilled human being is the ability to inquire and create constructively, independently, without external controls.” A true education, Chomsky suggests, opens a door to human intellectual freedom and creative autonomy.'