4 ms·

* Who are these proponents? * What are the numbers? What are they selling? * What benefits? What would "anything else" be? * Is there anything to take home f

• Alex3917 18y ago
  "Who are these proponents?" Schools, colleges, associated faculty and staff, parents, politicians, employers, etc. "What are the numbers? What are they selling?" Degrees, GPA, US News rank, X vs educational attainment (e.g. future earnings potential), etc. "What benefits?" The story of school. That is, what it means to be well educated/qualified is having a degree, having gone to a good school, having gotten a good GPA, etc. The social currency these things bring is all tied up with the story of school, or its foundational myth, or whatever you want to call it. By going through the system you earn the right to invoke the story. "What would "anything else" be?" Anything else. As it stands the only way to renounce adolescence is to become sanyasi sankalpa, which isn't a very good option. "Sounds like a bullshit theory to me." Maybe it's a bullshit theory, maybe it's the most poignant observation about western civ ever made, but you're smart so figure it out for yourself, I'm not here to play Bodhisattva.
  • thomasmallen 18y ago
    OK, good details, now it doesn't sound like so much of a bullshit theory to me. You should have included these details in the first place, I think.
    • unalone 18y ago
      But that's how a debate or a discussion goes. You give a very general overview of your ideas, and you get more detailed after questions arise. That way discussions are more focused and lead themselves to perusal more readily.