So, I read a bit on this a few weeks back and it has been marinating for a bit. Than today someone on the bus got me thinking again so I thought I aught to bring it here.
In a "free" society where the people rule should it be the people's responsibility to educate themselves? If the people are not educated do the government's responsibilities increase? Should the government promote education or should it be solely up to the individuals?
It seems to me that the educational system in America is not about creating well educated and capable people but more about getting people into the job market. What's the use of having a job in a Democracy if you are not capable of making an informed decision about how the society is structured? By living in such a society don't you take on the responsibility of acquiring an education?
The guy on the bus was in his twenties and talking about how useless school was and how, even though he was in Juvenile Hall half his life, he was still at college level. He said that once you get street smart and learn about how money works that's all you need. No employer is going to ask you who the 13th president was. Well I won't argue that his math and English were at college level (but I highly doubt it) I would argue that because of the structure of the country he lives in it is his duty to know it's history.
Than, it seems that the entire point of the educational system is to acquire a job. Does this need to change? At the college I went to there was only one philosophy class required for getting a science degree. Isn't it philosophy that became the foundation of science. Isn't the questions of philosophy that science intends to answer?
So since the schools don't give us what we need we must improvise. Between libraries, the internet, and plain ol' intellectual discussion, there is little excuse for a poor education. Especially considering the leisure time we have now compared to the past. The only difference (between formal and self education) being that you don't get a plaque on the wall.
What do y'all think?