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Going to university does not broaden the mind

economist.com

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Re: Going to university does not broaden the mind

#241

Post by em-bee »

AnaniasAnanas wrote: post #239
em-bee wrote: post #224

Earlier quoted context omitted.

actually, the most important thing to teach, which not all schools are teaching is "how to learn" for example teaching multiple programming languages has the benefit of learning how the languages are related to each other. a student that learned several languages over the course of their studies will be much better at picking up yet another language when they start working. in my university each different programming…

I probably did not express myself clear enough in my previous post. I certainly support teaching different languages as long as they are very different - such as Prolog + Haskell + C for example. I simply do not see the point of teaching multiple language that are basically the same (C++ + Java + C# + Python for example).

yes, that's a good point. but the benefit holds even if the languages are basically the same, because students don't know that until they learned a few of them.

Re: Going to university does not broaden the mind

#243

Post by randomdata »

mycall wrote: post #88
BurningFrog wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A cynical view is that US universities teaches you the opinions and manners you need to assume your role in the ruling class.

I prefer that US universities teach you have to learn. What you learn doesn't really matter.

How does one make it to the age one normally goes to university without already having learned how to learn?

Re: Going to university does not broaden the mind

#244

Post by all2 »

fergie wrote: post #146
all2 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most people I know (I'm in university) can recite facts rather easily, they understand the theory and practice relatively well. What they seem to lack (what most people I meet seem to lack) is questions and a questioning mind.

Just out of interest- what questions are your peers are not asking?

Most of them. All of them?

From some, I never hear any questions. The others, I hear domain specific questions (how do I do X?), or disambiguation (when you say this, do you mean ...?), or what's on the test, etc.

There are few forward looking questions (what can I use this for? where is it used? what is the state of the art?).

Re: Going to university does not broaden the mind

#245

Post by yardie »

scarface74 wrote: post #151
mycall wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I prefer that US universities teach you have to learn. What you learn doesn't really matter.

Until they try to get that first job out of college...

Ah yes, the infamous “entry level” position that requires 3 years experience of Java|C++|C#.

My first entry level job required C# knowledge. So I went to the nearest Barnes and Nobles and read the Microsoft guide cover to cover. I was not a C# major in uni but being able to study, abstract, and internalize concepts was something I did learn.

Re: Going to university does not broaden the mind

#246

Post by Markoff »

starky wrote: post #181
Jommi wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's the complete other way around. Source: Lived in China, ask any Chinese person.

It is understandable why they would think this. I've had multiple people from Guangdong refer to the food from the North as spicy, even though Sichuan, Hunan, and Chongqing are considered central China. To most people Southern Chinese food is just Cantonese food.

that's just not truth, every Chinese is aware if difference between sichuanese/hunanese and Cantonese cuisine

Re: Going to university does not broaden the mind

#247

Post by AsyncAwait »

geomark wrote: post #236
AsyncAwait wrote: post #226

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I always chuckle when I hear about "free" education, "free" healthcare, etc. Somebody is paying for it. That's because you probably choose to misinterpret what is meant. If you genuinely don't know, I find this quite astonishing, but let me explain; As someone with "free" healthcare as a citizen of an EU country, I never think it is free as in literally costs nothing and nor do my left-wing American friends advocat…

I suppose you might convince yourself to think of it that way. As long as you don't mind the fact that you are subsidizing the large number of people for whom it is literally free because they pay but a tiny portion of their actual cost. A certain amount of that would be fine with me since I do feel a duty to support the less fortunate, although being forced to do it and having it done by a large and inefficient bure…

> you are subsidizing the large number of people for whom it is literally free

In every system, be it the justice system, a social system, or the free market, you're going to have a percentage of people taking advantage of it. That is no argument for not having it in the first place. That's an argument for reasonable laws and regulations. As for the people who do not temporarily have a job due to say family circumstances, or even permanently due to illness or disability, I have no problems whatsoever with it being "free" for them.

> because they pay but a tiny portion of their actual cost

You do the exact same thing. Your taxes do not solely pay for the roads and bridges you cross on your way to work, nor the police or firefighters that are on call to help you out, not for the regulators that ensure the food you buy is safe...

In some way or another, we're mutually subsidizing each other somewhat via taxes. And taxes will be collected. So the only question is where they should go? Be it private military contractors, or helping someone with their cancer treatment? I'd opt for the second option every time.

> I am more of a pay-my-own-way kind of person, which I do.

No, you just like to tell yourself that to feel better. As part of a nation state, there's a whole bunch of not "pay you own way" that you rely on every single day.

I realize why you'd need to convince yourself that you're entirely "your own man", but that doesn't change the fact that is it false.

There are plenty of places in the world where you can pretty much opt out of the system and go at it all yourself. I suspect you wouldn't like it that much, but it exists.

There is a whole other discussion as to whether taxes are the right way to do it and what debt are we really paying for, which is interesting in itself, but my argument is that assuming taxes will be collected anyway, at least I'd prefer to spend them on things like healthcare, education etc., than say excessive military spending.

P.S. Even posting your comment here on HN required resources that you did not pay for, (servers, programmers, electricity, free software).

Re: Going to university does not broaden the mind

#248

Post by erichocean »

limelight wrote: post #235
erichocean wrote: post #194

> I grew up in an area that was 99+% white and 50+% Jewish. That's logically impossible. You group in an area that was majority Jewish, and minority white.

Jews have been considered "white" for decades. In modern America, it's generally only neo-Nazis and their ilk who seek to other Jews as being non-white.

It’s white supremacist to co-opt Jewish culture and achievement as being white. I really wish whites would stop doing it.

Re: Going to university does not broaden the mind

#249

Post by tylerhou »

greglindahl wrote: post #159
tylerhou wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> The north is a lot more spicy stuff. The south is more about sauces and freshness. > Citation needed, please. Not really true; here is an anti-citation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sichuan_cuisine

Sichuan cuisine is renowned for having dishes/spices from many different places... which makes it not a good anti-example.

Citation?
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