How important do you believe education and knowledge is? (page 3)

jgnat

I have no degrees but a very large vocabulary. This I obtained from reading.

This board is one of the few places I indulge the full breadth of my language skills, which is very satisfying. I learned early to temper my language to my audience, or risk intimidating or annoying my listeners. It is awkward to stop and explain a word or a colloquialism. It breaks the flow.

People judge me all the time based on my language skills. I can't help but come across as intelligent. You know, because I .... am. This doesn't always help me. I am also ready to admit an error, which can either disarm my audience, or intimidate them further. You see, I am not afraid to expose my weaknesses. Fearless people are intimidating to the fearful.

Here's another thought, though I have not found the source. One survival technique is to have as many options as possible. Reduce your options, and you are limited in the directions you can go. Imagine a narrow path with only one exit. Get caught in there with a saber-toothed tiger, and you are toast. Education and knowledge open up greater options, and are therefore very useful to have.

new hope and happiness

Yes its important to realise that somebodys level of education is often highly dependent on ecconomic and social factors. And as Adjusted Knowledge points out being educated is not entirely about vocabulary, if it is do you suppose it should be in English, Chineice, Indian or Latin vocabulay?

jgnat

http://www.ted.com/talks/ray_kurzweil_get_ready_for_hybrid_thinking

According to this Ted talk, you need Cantonese, Hindi, and...I forgot the third. You will have to watch the video.

OnTheWayOut

How educated are you? And how great is your vocabularly ect ....?

I didn't even graduate high school, but got my General Education Diploma (GED) which is a test taken in one day that passing gives you a high school equivalency. However, I scored well in high school and could have gone to college. I feel that my vocabulary and spelling are pretty good from reading. My grammar is passable to good.

Do you think ir right to judge people by how intelligent/ educated they are and how much vocabulary they use???

No kidding- I just spent the weekend at one of the top two universities in the United States. I was there for a wedding. I was surrounded by people with doctorates and many letters behind their names. I wasn't made to feel bad at all because of that. If a person has to go to work instead of school, there is no shame in that. Higher education is not everyone's cup of tea.

Plus, I have learned not to judge anyone by any standards. Sure, eventually we know someone well enough to make some sound judgements, but we don't ever really know enough to "judge" anyone based on limited exposure.

How important is it to YOU in comming across intelligent to others ?

It has been important, but not so much anymore.

redvip2000

I don't like educated snobs either, but I like uneducated, prideful and stubborn people less.

To me this is key. I don't judge people based on education. As many of you said, not everybody has that opportunity. But what about those who are uneducated and go out of their way of making fun of higher education, by saying it's a complete waste of time?

I will admit i do somewhat judge people who use poor vocabulary. Most people who use poor vocabulary are careless or lazy. I have a hard time respecting someone who insists on saying " Aks" instead of "Ask"; or saying "You is" instead of "You are" - this has nothing to do with education. It has more to do with an attitude IMO.

James Brown

How important do I believe education and knowledge is?

It means life.

You need education and knowledge to live and the more you have the better you live.

The less you have; if you don't have enough it could kill you.

Oubliette

jgnat: Fearless people are intimidating to the fearful.

This is my new favorite quote of the day!

jgnat: Education and knowledge open up greater options, and are therefore very useful to have.

I think you really put the well and it certainly reframes the discussion.

Several poster here have tried to frame it as "educated snobs vs. humble uneducated people." Well, of course no one likes a snob! But this implies (incorrectly I might add) that all educated people are snobs and that all uneducated people are humble. This is clearly not true.

Some of the most arrogant people I have ever known are uneducated people that think they have a lock on "Truth." Usually they were JW elders, but plenty of JWs that aren't elders have the same misplaced sense of superiority thinking they worship "the God of Truth."

I'm sure there are lots of other ignorant boors out there that aren't and never were JWs, but that was my life for three decades.

new hope and happiness

James Brown your great point explains why so many people purchase false qualifications, and why when speaking with medical " experts" we need to use discernment.

Caedes

I think we have quite a few uneducated people on this forum who are arrogant, conceited and believe that their wild guesses are somehow equivalent to years of education, serious study and learning. They have a tendancy to go on at length on topics which they not only know nothing about and more importantly are unwilling to learn about.

Conversely, if you asked most educated people they could probably give you a long list of things they know nothing about.

Oh Gawd

Caedes, there is actually research to back up your idea.

Turns out, when asked about a variety of subjects, those with true expertise in one field are far less certain about issues outside of their specialty than the population as a whole. In other words, a window washer is often times more certain about religion than a surgeon. The difference being the surgeon understands what is required to truly become expert in something and realises what he is not. The window washer, not so much.

How important do you believe education and knowledge is?

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