What is the point of Higher Education?

[Ansiktsburk]

The BA I did in 1992-95 in Archaeology and Ancient History was far more open minded.

When you say open minded, can you elaborate, what was said and done?

[Sculptor]

The BA I did in 1992-95 in Archaeology and Ancient History was far more open minded.

When you say open minded, can you elaborate, what was said and done?

PLease refer to the first post I made.

[Ansiktsburk]

The BA I did in 1992-95 in Archaeology and Ancient History was far more open minded.

When you say open minded, can you elaborate, what was said and done?

PLease refer to the first post I made.

Done. And well, it comes as pretty natural when the subjects are in the humanities, since few things in the world of human interaction and understanding is anything like E=MC2. Or, to put it another way, you can go bullshitting endlessly about anything. Something I deeply enjoyed in the history of ideas course.

[Belinda]

It's a pity the Enlightenment 'man of parts' , who understood both science and humanities, is not catered for in most of tertiary and much of secondary education. I suppose this is because curricular time is finite and information infinitely expands.

[Skepdick]

"It is important that students bring a certain ragamuffin, barefoot irreverence to their studies; they are not here to worship what is known, but to question it."
— Jacob Bronowski (The Ascent of Man)

I've enjoyed several years of higher education and found my self lucky to come into contact with teachers who were highly motivated to unapck and criticise the disciplines they taught. Parallel to these were the more standardised perveyors of the established views and norms of the topic.
I think it fair to say that I gained more from the former. The ones for whom the above quote was not scary, than I did from the latter types.

What has been your experience?

Higher Education is a safe space to play the silly mind games one plays as a child (student) and to have people (teachers) entertain those silly games.

So you can get it out of your system and learn to interact with other humans constructively and critically without taking all criticism as a direct and personal attack on you as a human.

Absent of this opportunity silly children (some of age 50+) play silly mind games in the social sphere. During pandemics.

[owl of Minerva]

Sculpture wrote:

The purpose of an education; higher or lower, in addition to imparting information, should be to evolve the student past the various stages of development to mature adulthood. If the purpose of this forum is an exchange of ideas, it is met only by participants who adhere to that standard.

Well said. From what Sculpture wrote I infer the difference between education and indoctrination.

Belinda dear, do not co-opt my words:

“ The purpose of an education; higher or lower, in addition to imparting information, should be to evolve the student past the various stages of development to mature adulthood. If the purpose of this forum is an exchange of ideas, it is met only by participants who adhere to that standard.”

And ascribe my words to someone else. Remember the adage; honesty is the best policy.

[Sculptor]

When you say open minded, can you elaborate, what was said and done?

PLease refer to the first post I made.

Done. And well, it comes as pretty natural when the subjects are in the humanities, since few things in the world of human interaction and understanding is anything like E=MC2. Or, to put it another way, you can go bullshitting endlessly about anything. Something I deeply enjoyed in the history of ideas course.

Indeed.
Humanities ought to thrive on interpretation. Sadly they are often taught to discourage them; the difference between education which opens the mind and that which closes it.
Science and maths requires rules, and interpretation is banished to the peripheries only obtainable by years of study.

[Sculptor]

Sculpture wrote:

The purpose of an education; higher or lower, in addition to imparting information, should be to evolve the student past the various stages of development to mature adulthood. If the purpose of this forum is an exchange of ideas, it is met only by participants who adhere to that standard.

Well said. From what Sculpture wrote I infer the difference between education and indoctrination.

Belinda dear, do not co-opt my words:

“ The purpose of an education; higher or lower, in addition to imparting information, should be to evolve the student past the various stages of development to mature adulthood. If the purpose of this forum is an exchange of ideas, it is met only by participants who adhere to that standard.”

And ascribe my words to someone else. Remember the adage; honesty is the best policy.

I didn't think those were my words!!
Though I find them agreeable I cannot claim authorship

[Sculptor]

"It is important that students bring a certain ragamuffin, barefoot irreverence to their studies; they are not here to worship what is known, but to question it."
— Jacob Bronowski (The Ascent of Man)

I've enjoyed several years of higher education and found my self lucky to come into contact with teachers who were highly motivated to unapck and criticise the disciplines they taught. Parallel to these were the more standardised perveyors of the established views and norms of the topic.
I think it fair to say that I gained more from the former. The ones for whom the above quote was not scary, than I did from the latter types.

What has been your experience?

Higher Education is a safe space to play the silly mind games one plays as a child (student) and to have people (teachers) entertain those silly games.

So you can get it out of your system and learn to interact with other humans constructively and critically without taking all criticism as a direct and personal attack on you as a human.

Absent of this opportunity silly children (some of age 50+) play silly mind games in the social sphere. During pandemics.

And where did you do your higher eduation?

[Belinda]

Sculpture wrote:

The purpose of an education; higher or lower, in addition to imparting information, should be to evolve the student past the various stages of development to mature adulthood. If the purpose of this forum is an exchange of ideas, it is met only by participants who adhere to that standard.

Well said. From what Sculpture wrote I infer the difference between education and indoctrination.

Belinda dear, do not co-opt my words:

“ The purpose of an education; higher or lower, in addition to imparting information, should be to evolve the student past the various stages of development to mature adulthood. If the purpose of this forum is an exchange of ideas, it is met only by participants who adhere to that standard.”

And ascribe my words to someone else. Remember the adage; honesty is the best policy.

I am terribly sorry, Owl! This is not the first time I've done that. I find the boxes within boxes confusing and will have to try harder.

[Skepdick]

And where did you do your higher eduation?

On the frontlines of directly confronting reality.

I skipped the safe spaces - and I paid for some of my errors in blood.

You should be so fortunate to learn from my mistakes.

[Sculptor]

And where did you do your higher eduation?

On the frontlines of directly confronting reality.

I skipped the safe spaces - and I paid for some of my errors in blood.

You should be so fortunate to learn from my mistakes.

I'll take that has never having any higher education and so everything you say about it is basically bollocks, as we all know.

[Skepdick]

I'll take that has never having any higher education and so everything you say about it is basically bollocks, as we all know.

You got that backwards.

If all you have is higher education and you've never actually had any direct contact with reality then everything you say IS bollocks.
You are regurgitating theory devoid of practice.

Because higher education is a safe space from reality. People coming from Higher Education and into the real world be like...

[Belinda]

I'll take that has never having any higher education and so everything you say about it is basically bollocks, as we all know.

You got that backwards.

If you only have higher education and you've never actually had any direct contact with reality then everything you say IS bollocks.

Because higher education is a safe space from reality.

But some higher education involves field work with real living people e.g. social anthropology, and psychology, not to mention the more obvious medicine.

As for the humanities, the best poets are those who empathise with real people. My favourite poet, Keats, had been a medical doctor who well knew the pathos of disease,and old age.

[Skepdick]

But some higher education involves field work with real living people e.g. social anthropology, and psychology, not to mention the more obvious medicine.

Sure. Even in medicine part and parcel of "higher education" is to work under the supervision of experienced real-world practitioners.

And so it's still a "safe space" in a way because your supervising is your safety net.

As for the humanities, the best poets are those who empathise with real people. My favourite poet, Keats, had been a medical doctor who well knew the pathos of disease,and old age.

I have the utmost respect of those who do academic/humanities pursuits at the end, not at the beginning of their journey.

It's giving back some of the knowledge.

Ultimately, though. We lose so much knowledge when humans who have done a lot pass on.