As someone who has been involved in Progress Studies for the last 10 years, I agree with you. Education is highly overrated as a cause of material progress for many of the reasons that you give.
I do believe, however, that some types of education do generate long-term benefits to economic growth:
As someone who has been involved in Progress Studies for the last 10 years, I agree with you. Education is highly overrated as a cause of material progress for many of the reasons that you give.
I do believe, however, that some types of education do generate long-term benefits to economic growth:
1) Basic literacy
2) Basic numeracy (i.e, arithmetic, but not math beyond that stage)
3) Highly technical skills, such as engineering
4) Very practical vocational education for working-class jobs.
All the above makes up maybe 10-20% of education. I am not saying that the rest is bad. Only that it does not make major contributions to long-term economic growth.
As someone who has been involved in Progress Studies for the last 10 years, I agree with you. Education is highly overrated as a cause of material progress for many of the reasons that you give.
I do believe, however, that some types of education do generate long-term benefits to economic growth:
1) Basic literacy
2) Basic numeracy (i.e, arithmetic, but not math beyond that stage)
3) Highly technical skills, such as engineering
4) Very practical vocational education for working-class jobs.
https://frompovertytoprogress.substack.com/p/why-we-need-more-vocational-education
All the above makes up maybe 10-20% of education. I am not saying that the rest is bad. Only that it does not make major contributions to long-term economic growth.
Most of education amounts to a staggering waste. Reducing/eliminating that strikes me as a prospective lodestone for advancing human welfare.