the primary effective purpose of college is to teach the feigning of intelligence

DEEP_acheleg: do you agree or disagree? any supporting or invalidating arguments regarding this thesis are encouraged

DEEP_acheleg: i was meaning to refer to us higher ed in the united states, by the way; however, the state of higher ed in other nations can be debated here as well- i just wouldn't be able to contribute very informed comments regarding the systems of other nations and/or provinces- foreign systems, which i am unfamiliar with

DEEP_acheleg: i have an argument to make on the subject, i would just like to see others validating or invalidating my thesis first...

AussieOi: Way back in the 90's I was a uni student. I recall being told that "we will be the leaders of society" and other stuff like that. I wasn't comfortable with it at the time and smiled years later as none of my bosses had ever been to uni/college. They didn't seem to think I was a learned leader of them

Logic_Probably: I'm going to university in September. I couldn't care about being labelled as a "student", I prefer the word "scholar". Since I actually enjoy and give a fuck about learning... Lol. I don't like all the negative associations with university students. I'm a good boy.

LiptonCambell: I think that colleges and universities use their position as educators to push an idealogy, yes. But do I think that the things that are taught in colleges and universities are meaningless? Absolutely not. There's people out there learning how to be come doctors.

Of course, I also heard earlier this week that theres a college offering the course"the Sociology of Miley Cyrus”....so....yea....not all courses will leave you smarter.....

Logic_Probably: Nobody said anything about being "smarter". Where you getting this from?

ghostgeek: When I was studying art we were told that most of us would never make it as artists. Never were truer words spoken.

mdntth123: My opinion, university teaches how to copy existing technology or knowledge, but few people can create new one, not just in this century, but in all time human will live.

DEEP_acheleg: innovation threatens the establishment

sixty 9 yrs of wanda: universities have always spawned 2 types basically - (1) shallow minded success stories and (2) tormented intellectual 'thinkers' and 'seekers'

ghostgeek: Universities pass on a body of knowledge and, if they are successful, get people to think for themselves.

Logic_Probably: I don't know what you mean by "establishment". Innovation is clearly useful for everyone, unless the ideas are so dangerous that the few people who know them seek to suppress them. That, may be understandable if people are not willing to hear new ideas.

I think some really idioitic belief systems and religions will die out if we just let nature take its course, but maybe the "establishment" is right in monitoring (though not restricting) innovation.

Everyone just blames "that guy in the government" and it's so vague that it lost it's meaning. It's just a cliche excuse I think.

Logic_Probably: If there are conspiracies - they need to be substantiated and proved rather than asserted.

Logic_Probably: I will say more about the post before last, um, when the time is "right", such ideas will be allowed to be released into the public, but there are so many idiots in the gene pool that need to be thinned out of the herd before we are able to do that. And also, memes too.

We need to gradually wean idiots off their crazy ideas with lumps of sugar, maybe "innovation" isn't always the best idea, because you don't know how people are going to handle an idea, well, some do, and these "bad guys in the government" may actually be in the right mind here.

Just food for thought.

SWlNE:
What do you mean by 'teach the feigning of intelligence'?
Are you referring to a method of teaching (example focusing on memorizing and regurgitating vs developing critical thinking)? or Focusing more on theoretical knowledge than practical knowledge?

I want to make sure I'm understanding the topic, since I see the role of colleges/educational institutions as one to teach or give knowledge -and intelligence is a different thing from that.
While it's easy to regurgitate knowledge (not that this is a bad thing, knowledge is important and isn't limited to book-sense but includes also observation and experience), intelligence is applying that further through reasoning.

DEEP_acheleg: you hit it on the nail, my friend. wat i would add is that a masters or doctorate degree often leads to overconnfidence

A_Kestrel: I think shallow personalities can manifest in any venue whether it is at an educational institution, a workplace, a religious sect, etc ad nauseam. No, I do not believe that higher education has the goal of feigned intelligence. We made a well-intentioned mistake when we crossed over to encouraging every human being to seek higher education when we have not concentrated the necessary effort to repair primary education first. Why do you see people give airs and act aloof when achieving educational milestones? This happens because everyone has to feel some sense of self validation in a world where we judge accomplishments by a rubric solely based on material acquisition and those little slips of paper (degrees/money). I work for a small college and have to admit it is easy to feel annoyed with the quality of a modern education, particularly when you ask people the purpose of the pursuit.I also see dedicated professors working for peanuts that truly believe in what they do. This thesis invalidates their selfless daily struggle to affect the future through education and awareness. So, nope... I don't agree one whit.

What you don't see are the single mothers that struggle to achieve that one year vocational nursing certificate. You haven't witnessed the kid that received his associates degree and feel proud of himself, maybe for the first time ever. You haven't met the non traditional student, like myself, who found her way by embracing educational opportunities. Education is not the "debbil" and it does not churn out soulless monsters. Our public school system and it's ever-increasing lack of accountability regarding the dumbing down of generations of Americans is at fault in my view. I see it firsthand every day. There are no critical thinking skills, minimal responsibility milestones (did you know there is almost no such thing as an F or homework any more?), and they are expected to go to college/university with the functioning skill set of a 6th grade education. Why are people becoming snots about it...because it's gonna be a frightening rarity. The feigning of intelligence happens at the grade school level. The desperate bid to counter that fact happens everywhere else.

Yes, academia can span some of the biggest pain in the ass personalities known to man. I work with many. Umbrella statements will never hold water with me however, because I see it does more harm than good to not see the details.

I will be Doctor me as soon as I can manage it. I love learning. I adore education and what it can do for a human being. If someone has pride in their accomplishments, so what? Who are we to judge intelligence? Is this not some ironic twist in the original characteristic you do not like? "We do not like people who have book smarts but no real discernible intelligence because they give themselves airs and think they are better than everyone else, so they shall now be lumped into a countering umbrella statement which we shall dub unintelligent based on the fact that they have attended a university".

hmmmm.

I get the impetus, I really do. I know a lotta people at uni that I think would benefit from a flying brick connection, but it will never make me hate what pursuing your dreams through education can, and was meant to, be. No institution is perfect, but the alternative is thinking that the irresponsible and unchecked future will rise up in some counter culture hate of schools, adopt a library card and become the incredible, intelligent, socially aware beings they have the ability to be. Yeah, that'll happen

If you think the country/world is frightening with the pain the ass rhetoric spouters that like to throw their minimal grey mattered weight around post-education... imagine a world without those facilities. The jerks are outnumbered by the ones that appreciate what they have and work hard for it. There are more of us than there are of them. Thank you educational system for not being perfect and having cracks and flaws... and still being around.

All intelligence comes with experience, not fact regurgitation, but knowing those facts and being prepared sure helps!

duncan124:
It think in the USA it (the thread question )might have once been the truth.

I often went to ' remedial ' classes and the stories of some of the students who had missed out the first time were so sad.

In fact ' feigning ' would have seemed to be the right way at US colleges along with not drawing attention to yourself.

SWlNE: Yeah, I don't think it is the intention of educational institutions to promote/teach the 'feigning of intelligence'..I think it's just human nature at play.
Maybe it is society that encourages it and not institutions? There is this set image of what an intelligent individual should look/speak like (or characteristics this person should have) in order to impress others. To me that is human nature --that bending to fit in, to seem more attractive for mating/socializing. I see it more in the chatroom than around me.
A simple thing as wearing glasses when a person doesn't need it in order to appear 'intelligent' or changing speech patterns.
I don't understand it fully because looking back on some of the most interesting persons I've met, they didn't fit into the intelligent image.
...just have to take everyone with a 'grain of salt', don't give anyone a status so high that they become infallible in your mind.
That is for social settings.
On a side note, if someone has knowledge (regurgitated or experienced) it can be beneficial but it's still up to you to mentally grant that person some 'rank' or not. Personally, I try hard not to...try to give everyone an equal footing.
It's kinda interesting to watch someone and try to guess the image that they try to show of themselves. Some are genuine, others not but I don't care too much on these things at a social level. Only thing that bothers me is when it happens in an important setting as example in a work setting when Heads don't know shit but will pretend to and end up undermining a trained professional. It ends up screwing up a project with financial loss. Also at a political level. This is when it gets serious.

There is a chance that this 'feigning' mightn't be intentional or consciously carried out, as in the Dunning-Kruger effect. It makes me question myself even haa

DEEP_acheleg: "in a work setting when Heads don't know shit but will pretend to and end up undermining a trained professional." that is the basis of my premise, in regards to one whom holds an MBA, in particular. micromanagement is known to be infective, yet, it is still widely in use

duncan124:
" Feigning intelligence " is not so bad as the behaviour of colleges in Europe where being evil and bad were the over whelming characteristics looked for in every class.

In fact the first strike in Spain in the 1980s against the Military dictatorship was caused by a confrontation between University students, who were being forced to become college tutors as there was no other work, and the colleges who were promoting " evil and satanic " ideas instead of normal teaching.

The government had a legal duty to show there was work for the students while they had successfully shown the teaching methods they were going to have to use were " beyond bad " or " useless ".