Rule of thumb: When empirically testable statements are framed as philosophical arguments it's because they aren't supported by the numbers.
Dangerous Ideas: Sorry Paul Graham, I Think it Does Matter Where You Went to College
11–20 of 54 posts
Re: Dangerous Ideas: Sorry Paul Graham, I Think it Does Matter Where You Went to College
#12"The student who got an 'A' on her Kant essay is, quite simply, someone who really understands Kant" This is the point where my bull shit meter hit the red area and then went on to roll on the floor and laugh :)
Actually, though, this has some truth to it. Not only that, but the truth of the statement is directly proportional to the quality of the institution the student attends (or at least the German philosophy department of said institution)
Re: Dangerous Ideas: Sorry Paul Graham, I Think it Does Matter Where You Went to College
#13in my experience, the school you go to has a huge impact on what jobs you can apply/get recruited for - i definitely could see it having little impact on startup success...also doubt it has much impact on people who go into sales. both are sink or swim scenarios. but, the education you receive at harvard or mit might be no different from what you get at bunker hill cc, and if you go launch a company you may be no worse off coming out of bhcc, but if you are going into the mainstream workforce, the average MIT/Harvard/Stanford grad has a massively better shot at getting a job at NASA, Goldman, Citadel, Google, etc. Not because the students are necessarily better at those schools (although many would argue that they are) but simply because the alumni base is already embedded in those institutions. i think it is under emphasized for undergrad, but in large part matriculation choice is a decision of what alumni base you want to "buy into".
Re: Dangerous Ideas: Sorry Paul Graham, I Think it Does Matter Where You Went to College
#14"The student who got an 'A' on her Kant essay is, quite simply, someone who really understands Kant" This is the point where my bull shit meter hit the red area and then went on to roll on the floor and laugh :)
Actually, though, this has some truth to it. Not only that, but the truth of the statement is directly proportional to the quality of the institution the student attends (or at least the German philosophy department of said institution)
There's a fairly good chance that even Kant didn't understand Kant.
Re: Dangerous Ideas: Sorry Paul Graham, I Think it Does Matter Where You Went to College
#15"The student who got an 'A' on her Kant essay is, quite simply, someone who really understands Kant" This is the point where my bull shit meter hit the red area and then went on to roll on the floor and laugh :)
Ditto. Can any subject require more subservience to a teacher than the 'Kantian interpretive' type he uses here?
The author, apparently, does not have a good understanding of Kant.
Re: Dangerous Ideas: Sorry Paul Graham, I Think it Does Matter Where You Went to College
#16in my experience, the school you go to has a huge impact on what jobs you can apply/get recruited for - i definitely could see it having little impact on startup success...also doubt it has much impact on people who go into sales. both are sink or swim scenarios. but, the education you receive at harvard or mit might be no different from what you get at bunker hill cc, and if you go launch a company you may be no wor…
"but, the education you receive at harvard or mit might be no different from what you get at bunker hill cc"
There is no way that is true.
Re: Dangerous Ideas: Sorry Paul Graham, I Think it Does Matter Where You Went to College
#17I think it may have been better to say that the more capable you are, the less it matters where you go to school. (Use your best judgment to apply boundaries to that statement.)
Re: Dangerous Ideas: Sorry Paul Graham, I Think it Does Matter Where You Went to College
#18in my experience, the school you go to has a huge impact on what jobs you can apply/get recruited for - i definitely could see it having little impact on startup success...also doubt it has much impact on people who go into sales. both are sink or swim scenarios. but, the education you receive at harvard or mit might be no different from what you get at bunker hill cc, and if you go launch a company you may be no wor…
"but, the education you receive at harvard or mit might be no different from what you get at bunker hill cc" There is no way that is true.
haven't you seen good will hunting?!
seriously though, one dedicated teacher at bhcc might give you way more than all the TAs you get at harvard. of course the same student that gets a lot out of bhcc would probably soak even more out of harvard. who knows
Re: Dangerous Ideas: Sorry Paul Graham, I Think it Does Matter Where You Went to College
#19This guy not not only misunderstood what I was saying, but literally made up quotes; e.g. "obedience to authority."
It probably doesn't bode well for his ability to really understand Kant.
Re: Dangerous Ideas: Sorry Paul Graham, I Think it Does Matter Where You Went to College
#20This guy not not only misunderstood what I was saying, but literally made up quotes; e.g. "obedience to authority."
And the edited version is still wrong.
Statement 1: high school transcript is largely a measure of obedience
Statement 2: Going to a top school shows only obedience.
Statement 3: Doing well in college demonstrates only obedience.
Notice how statement one matches neither statement two nor statement three, let alone both combined.