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Every response like this praising Liberal Arts seems to ignore two things: 1. Leaders (executives and management) at top companies almost always come from thes

Every response like this praising Liberal Arts seems to ignore two things: 1. Leaders (executives and management) at top companies almost always come from these top universities you rave about, and many with degrees in Liberal Arts. Yet they still always put profit > the ideals you just spent three paragraphs praising. 2. ALL students in the US receive a Liberal Arts education via general education requirements. On the contrary, only a select few take anything over remedial math/science. This also puts “leading experts” on a far higher pedestal than deserved. Take Robert Reich, a famous History professor at Berkeley. Despite raving about affordable housing and equality in courses, on Twitter, etc., he actively votes against such legislation [0]. Did his liberal arts education at Dartmouth, Oxford, and Yale fail him? 0: https://www.econjobrumors.com/topic/robert-reich-tries-to-stop-affordable-housing-near-his-mansion-in-berkeley https://www.econjobrumors.com/topic/robert-reich-tries-to-st...

wolverine876 5y ago
> 1. Leaders (executives and management) at top companies almost always come from these top universities you rave about, and many with degrees in Liberal Arts. Yet they still always put profit > the ideals you just spent three paragraphs praising. I don't think I mentioned any ideals. Also, your disagreement with their decisions doesn't make them wrong or, more to the point, unaided by their educations. > Take Robert Reich, a famous History professor ... You personally disagree with someone who is a leader in liberal arts (and on the level of one among thousands), therefore all liberal arts education for everyone is invalidated? Your support is an (anonymous?) post in a forum on Economics Job Market Rumors? If you are accurate, one leader (of thousands) in liberal arts is flawed, so their entire education is a waste and all of liberal arts is without value? (What about you and me - are we flawed? Is everything we've learned therefore a waste? What about every other commenter and OP author on HN?) Disagreement is part of liberal arts - it's essential, defining, for liberal arts to contain multiple contrary opinions simultaneously. Human flaws are part of liberal arts - it's impossible for it to work otherwise, as with any human endeavor. But claims without factual and rational basis are excluded. Also, Reich is an economist and professor of public policy.

wolverine876 5y ago

> 1. Leaders (executives and management) at top companies almost always come from these top universities you rave about, and many with degrees in Liberal Arts. Yet they still always put profit > the ideals you just spent three paragraphs praising. I don't think I mentioned any ideals. Also, your disagreement with their decisions doesn't make them wrong or, more to the point, unaided by their educations. > Take Robert Reich, a famous History professor ... You personally disagree with someone who is a leader in liberal arts (and on the level of one among thousands), therefore all liberal arts education for everyone is invalidated? Your support is an (anonymous?) post in a forum on Economics Job Market Rumors? If you are accurate, one leader (of thousands) in liberal arts is flawed, so their entire education is a waste and all of liberal arts is without value? (What about you and me - are we flawed? Is everything we've learned therefore a waste? What about every other commenter and OP author on HN?) Disagreement is part of liberal arts - it's essential, defining, for liberal arts to contain multiple contrary opinions simultaneously. Human flaws are part of liberal arts - it's impossible for it to work otherwise, as with any human endeavor. But claims without factual and rational basis are excluded. Also, Reich is an economist and professor of public policy.