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All of those statements are clearly true. Most people just want someone to give them a job and let them do it. Being told what to do by an authority figure is

by hooande 15y ago

All of those statements are clearly true. Most people just want someone to give them a job and let them do it. Being told what to do by an authority figure is considerably easier than figuring out what to do on your own. College is a system of authority and assigned work, and that's a big part of why people like it. I don't think the purpose of college is to provide people with education and a love of learning. Most people don't want that. The majority of people don't like to learn things. Learning is for nerds. The purpose of college (or any form of institutionalized education) is to do all three of the things that you listed. It's a tool of our society. Changing it would only make it unappealing to the average person. People who love learning have wikipedia.

geraldalewis 15y ago
> Most people just want someone to give them a job and let them do it. > I don't think the purpose of college is to provide people with education and a love of learning. Most people don't want that. Your stance on this issue strikes me as one-dimensional and solipsistic. Maybe you're a very smart person who was unfairly persecuted for being different, or maybe you were persecuted for being different and placed the blame on a feature. From my perspective, humans are learning machines, as evidenced by the totality of human output. > People who love learning have wikipedia. Wikipedia does not talk to you, debate your ideas, or force you to think in uncomfortable ways (`Discussion` does not count). I might be nitpicking your point, but autodidacts are well served by interfacing with people who can challenge their ideas and also help them articulate their opinions in person. Edit: I'm getting downvoted, and I hope it's not because this comment comes across as rude. If it is, please message me directly; I tried hard on the tone.
- davidk0101 15y ago
  Human are associating machines. Learning requires a bit more because if it didn't then the AI problem would have been solved long ago by neural nets. What schools don't do well is teach people about meta-cognition which is how all learning really happens. Anyone can memorize a few facts and regurgitate opinions but few people can connect the dots and see the big picture by collating all the local pieces of information we are constantly bombarded with.
patrickgzill 15y ago
Everyone learns "stuff" and likes it. However if a person is crazy about cars and transmissions, perhaps they would be better off learning in a vo-tech school things related to cars and transmissions - no shame in that! I believe that a good vo-tech schooling should be considered as an acceptable alternative for many.

by hooande 15y ago

geraldalewis 15y ago

> Most people just want someone to give them a job and let them do it. > I don't think the purpose of college is to provide people with education and a love of learning. Most people don't want that. Your stance on this issue strikes me as one-dimensional and solipsistic. Maybe you're a very smart person who was unfairly persecuted for being different, or maybe you were persecuted for being different and placed the blame on a feature. From my perspective, humans are learning machines, as evidenced by the totality of human output. > People who love learning have wikipedia. Wikipedia does not talk to you, debate your ideas, or force you to think in uncomfortable ways (`Discussion` does not count). I might be nitpicking your point, but autodidacts are well served by interfacing with people who can challenge their ideas and also help them articulate their opinions in person. Edit: I'm getting downvoted, and I hope it's not because this comment comes across as rude. If it is, please message me directly; I tried hard on the tone.

davidk0101 15y ago
Human are associating machines. Learning requires a bit more because if it didn't then the AI problem would have been solved long ago by neural nets. What schools don't do well is teach people about meta-cognition which is how all learning really happens. Anyone can memorize a few facts and regurgitate opinions but few people can connect the dots and see the big picture by collating all the local pieces of information we are constantly bombarded with.

patrickgzill 15y ago

Everyone learns "stuff" and likes it. However if a person is crazy about cars and transmissions, perhaps they would be better off learning in a vo-tech school things related to cars and transmissions - no shame in that! I believe that a good vo-tech schooling should be considered as an acceptable alternative for many.