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> why do we need to "measure knowledge"? Because knowledge is currency. It opens doors to privilege and status in society. It also ensures incompetent people a
by hnarn 4y ago
> why do we need to "measure knowledge"?
Because knowledge is currency. It opens doors to privilege and status in society. It also ensures incompetent people are not put into positions where they can do harm.
- imtringued 4y agoYou mean measured knowledge acquired through a every specific way is currency. Someone who acquired the same knowledge on his own will be cast aside until he gets his certificate.
- hnarn 4y agoThat's because the certificate is the value, not the knowledge itself. The knowledge is assumed. Without a certificate, the onus of verifying the required knowledge is now on the consumer or employer, and unsurprisingly neither of them want that, so of course knowledge combined with a respected certificate is worth more than just the knowledge itself.
- hhmc 4y agoWould you let an uncredentialled surgeon operate on you?
- bezier-curve 4y agoThat's not possible because of regulation. For occupations that don't relate to other people's life or death situations, or security in general, it's reasonable to assume if someone has a skill, they should be able to use it professionally regardless of how they achieved it.
- hnarn 4y ago> if someone has a skill, they should be able to use it professionally Sure, but why would you hire an unlicensed electrician, or surgeon, or car mechanic, or builder, or elevator mechanic, or really anything that matters? The only areas where this point becomes moot are in areas where certifications already are not an issue, i.e. in jobs that almost anyone can do.
- workingon 4y agoBecause they are cheaper? I’ve hired unlicensed people to fell trees in my yard that weren’t really going to fall on the house etc. Also, I’m fairly certain car mechanics are not licensed where I live. Sometimes licenses are just frivolous, especially in modern day society.
- ben_w 4y agoI wonder if those unlicensed people had liability insurance, and, if so, if the insurance companies charged more due to their lack of license?
- logicchains 4y ago>Sure, but why would you hire an unlicensed electrician, or surgeon, or car mechanic, or builder, or elevator mechanic, or really anything that matters? You don't need a licensing system, you just need a reputation system. Like how bonds have a rating system; nobody's stopping you buying a junk bond, but the system makes it clear to you that it's a got a high probability of default.
- anonymousDan 4y agoOk you can be the first person to receive open heart surgery from an uncredentialed surgeon.
- peoplefromibiza 4y agoif it was a matter of life and death, of course yes. If it is not a matter of life and death, there's no possibility it will happen, because of regulations. Anyway: More than 250,000 people in the US die every year because of medical mistakes, making it the third-leading cause of death 10 percent of all U.S. deaths are now due to medical errors
- peoplefromibiza 4y ago> Because knowledge is currency can I sell it? Can I buy grocery with knowledge? Knowledge is a tool! And it's not even universally true, if you know American English it is perfectly useless in rural China or Japan or Central Africa. EDIT: I'll add another example that won't upset the American audience. Numbers in French. We are used to the decimal system, it won't work in France, they count numbers using the vigesimal system. So 84, 80 + 4 is quatre-vingt-quatre, 4 x 20 + 4. My way of counting numbers, which is a basic requirements for kids aged 5, is completely useless in France, even though France is a close Neighbour of my country and we dealt with each other since the dawn of history.