Kylee Morrissette
Professor Emerson
English 110
18 January 2018
The Purpose of Higher Education
Ever thought about getting a higher education, but just don’t know if it’s for you? Well, first off let’s look what everyone thinks about getting educated. Many people thinks going to school to learn is just a waste of time, but in reality it challenges the mind to be more active and thoughtfully critical in this complex world. Together, both authors Barnett and Nussbaum are trying to make people realize that school isn’t just for fun, it is supposed to give us knowledge so we can deal with complex situations the right way.
In Barnett’s section he talks about how the higher education is unsettling; Which in fact it really isn’t suppose to be a “cozy experience” anyways. He stated, “…ultimately, the student comes to see that things could always be other than they are”(Barnett). He believes a higher education isn’t fully completed without the student realizing this. Also, no matter how much effort we put in to our research, there is never going to be a final answer to anything.
With my experiences of going through high school, and now college is that not many people really care about their education until it is too late. In fact many people I know who dropped out of high school, because they simply didn’t care for it, and are now regretting it. All those people who decided to leave high school by their own choice, can’t even get any good jobs without any type education. Now a days practically every place wants some sort of education. Even if you went to high school and got your diploma, it will be a little hard finding a job. But with a higher education it opens up more job opportunities for people. This way more people will end up getting some sort of education to learn how to survive and to thrive in this world.
In Nussbaum’s section, she talks about how in college or universities, they make undergrad students take a variety of courses for their first two years. This way it can give the undergrad very important information involving humanities. The student my look at it as more work, but in reality it is helping us grow and mature. This information makes us more independent. Also it encourages us to ask more questions. By asking more questions, it helps by, “…challenging the mind to become active, competent, and thoughtfully critical…”
After reading the passages from both, The Idea of Higher Education, and Reading in the World, I’ve found that many people take advantage of our education. Many people think it is a waste of time, when it actually is trying to prepare us to go off on our own and survive in this world. Like Barnett said, “A higher education experience is not complete unless the student realizes that, no matter how much effort is put in, or how much library research, there are no final answers.” (Barnett) Meaning that our future is always going to be a mystery but with a little hard work it might be a little easier to get through life.
In conclusion, I can surely say that both Barnett, and Nussbaum’s, ideas are completely true. Education helps us learn to “…connect liberal arts to the preparation of informed, independent, and sympathetic democratic citizens…” (Nussbaum) Which is also why we have to take a variety of courses for the first two years of college. These classes also involve courses including humanities. This way we are slowly changing young minds to become “…active, competent, and thoughtfully critical…” (Nussbaum) which we need in order to survive in this complex world we live in. No matter what the education is it will create a better future for not only yourself but for the better good of society.
