This could be the end result of Republican politicians trying to convert America’s public universities and colleges into conservative madrassas (see story here), but that’s an article for another day.
Colleges are supposed to teach students how to think independently (see my article here), instead of being led by the nose like cows. But do they?
The philosophy driving academia, and debates over its role in society, was propounded by German philosopher Immanuel Kant nearly three centuries ago. The Hill explains (here),
The 300th anniversary of Immanuel Kant’s birth, celebrated last month, provides us with an occasion to consider the enduring relevance of the philosopher’s ideas for higher education. Specifically, should universities simply equip students with job-ready skills, or is there a more profound purpose?
Kant sheds light on this central question. He believed humans possess an inherent capacity for reason, a quality he termed “autonomy.” This autonomy sets us apart from other creatures, allowing us to make informed decisions based on reason and independent thought, rather than yielding to blind impulses or external pressures.
Higher education, then, becomes the crucial institutional context for igniting and nurturing autonomy — for fostering independent, mature individuals equipped to navigate an increasingly complex world. Viewed from this perspective, colleges and universities should not simply focus on transmitting prepackaged knowledge or cultivating job-specific skills. Instead, they should create an environment that empowers students to develop their critical thinking muscles, grapple with complex ideas and arrive at their own well-reasoned conclusions.
I keep running into people who argue the role of colleges and universities is training people for jobs, and deride more abstract education by disparaging “degrees in dance” or “black studies” (often paired with opposing student loan forgiveness). Under the surface is a zero-sum mentality that having a college education takes something away from people who didn’t go to college.
The very idea of getting a college degree has become politically charged. Once relatively rare, degrees are now possessed by a majority of working-age U.S. adults (see story here). With the disappearance of factory jobs, a degree is increasingly necessary to earn a middle-class income. So the question is not whether a person tries to get into college, but what degree to pursue. Choosing a college major amounts to choosing an occupation.
But focusing exclusively on job skills would turn colleges and universities into trade schools, and society would lose their function of teaching young people how to think.
If you want lemmings (click on image to activate them), turn colleges into trade schools. But you may lose democracy, which depends on voters being able to think for themselves.