Thread: Capitalism.

Originally Posted by Simon

I would hazard a guess that education has historically been as a way of improving the collective economic strength of the nation, plus a dash of the puritanical "work ethic" in the past. Hence the narrow focus and lack of embrace for spiritual (for want of a better term) development.

My kids ask me what kind of job they should do. My answer is whatever they do make sure they can take transfer the skills geographically rather than being a desk slave in a major city

Good advice. I also ask students what they like doing for a hobby and then recommend they try to find jobs which use the same skills.

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Originally Posted by Simon

Bob10, I would qualify that to say appropriate education. For example the fixation with everyone being able to study for a degree if they want to seems to have done a great deal of damage, especially to those who would have been better off getting a trade than saddling themselves with debt for an academic qualification that is unlikely to add to their future prospects.

Good point. I would qualify it further by saying the fixation for a degree started about the same time University education stopped being free, and became a cash cow for Academics, and Universities.

Originally Posted by bob10

Good point. I would qualify it further by saying the fixation for a degree started about the same time University education stopped being free, and became a cash cow for Academics, and Universities.

You have it there Bob! Today's Uni's are money making machines and they rely heavily on marketing and unbelievably inaccurate graduate claims. Has anyone noticed that today's Deans are no longer the gifted academics of yesteryear that valued intellectual enquiry but are now from marketing or economic backgrounds. The amount of money that my uni invested on informing us how cutting our contact hours by 2 weeks a semester (20 weeks over the duration of my course) would be of great benefit to us. Most "good" lectures I know don't last that long as it becomes more and more about turning the cogs of an economic machine rather than real education. It makes me furious to see students taken for a 3 to 5 yr expensive "ride" when kids believe the unrealistic outcomes that the institutions have advertised. I'm all for culture and learning for learnings sake as long as that is a cognitive choice to do so, however I don't think you need to spend $50000 to achieve it.
As others have stated it is an appropriate and informed education that is of long term benefit. You can write as many 500000 word essays on the cultural significance of party pies as you like but it may not better society or yourself in the long term. Don't get me started on the current state of secondary education either.... I am all for education but consider most educational institutions (as they currently operate) to be works in progress at best rather than pinnacles of society.
In my humble opinion both sides of the fence are right to some degree in this debate, someone with and education and no life experience can be just as incompetent as someone with life experience and no education. Both are needed as well as a pinch of aptitude (common sense) and a dash of endurance.

Education is fundamentally about learning how to learn i.e. getting the skills to acquire knowledge. Once employed with a base level of skills and knowledge we hopefully then keep learning for the rest of our lives. How well we learn to learn depends on mainly on two things - opportunity and motivation. Sadly, many kids are unmotivated and not interested in anything except boofing about, playing Minecraft all night and sleeping in class. Parents can't just dump kids at school and wash their hands of responsibility, as some do. Parents have an important role in helping kids to get organized and find goals.

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The most important part of education is primary school. You lean to interact, read arithmetic etc, and develop social skills. Secondary school has a place but to me not as important,most of the things I learnt in secondary school has done little for me in my life. However for some it is important and relevant. As in all things a balanceis needed. It has been thrown at us for many years now that education is the key. Yes it is, but a totally university educated society will fail. As for my original post. Capitalism is based on assumptions and greed mostly from the greedy, eventually it will fail.

It will fail. With tragic consequences for those caught in it unfortunately

Capitalism is a religion and money is worshipped just as any other diety.

Education has become about making money for a minority at the expense of the majority. Public listed companies now account for almost 40% of all education institutions and this number will grow as colleges begin to seek funding elsewhere.

Finally we DO NOT have a UNIVERSITY IN Australia. If you think back to the origins of the word. A UNIVERSITY taught you a UNIVERSAL education with an emphasis on how to learn and not what to learn. University of Queensland (where my MBBS is from) is a brilliant technical school but not a University. UNSW, (where my masters is from) is again a technical school and not a University.

Until a college in this country stops going after $ over education and makes every student irrespective of final undergraduate course study, language, philosophy, basic science, fine art and history before being allowed to specialise as a Dr, Dentist, engineer, IT guru, teacher, nurse etc etc etc etc we will not again have a UNIVERSITY IN Australia

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capitalism becomes a lecture in education.......not a good one either.