[captobvious]

I agree that having a population highly capable of reasoning and critical thinking is a good thing. But I do think this vision of an enlightened society is a little bit of an ivory tower fantasy.

We don't live in a society where people have a large amount of freedom and exist as free independent agents.

Most people need to be employees. And if you are an employee you will exist in a dictatorship with a military-like structure, and doing critical thinking and proper reasoning will be downright dangerous.

"Um excuse me Mr. Manager, but your proposal for the future of the division has a logical error in the reasoning, and your conclusion is actually false"

Nope, Mr Manager is always right. Because you have to play the game of corporate politics if you want any chance of success, and avoid being labeled as difficult and abrasive.

As long as the large majority of job postings and companies are looking for obedient workers of a certain skill, most people will want an education to become an obedient worker of a certain skill. And universities need to adapt to demand in order not to have a decrease in applicants..

[saraid216]

> We don't live in a society where people have a large amount of freedom and exist as free independent agents.

But should we? And if so, why may we not work towards it?

> And if you are an employee you will exist in a dictatorship with a military-like structure, and doing critical thinking and proper reasoning will be downright dangerous.

This is complete bullshit. You understand neither the military nor corporations, both of which can and do permit and encourage back talk.

[betterunix]

Corporations only permit or encourage "back talk" when employees know what not to say or question. You are free to question policy or management decisions; you are not free to question certain organizational goals or the hierarchical structure of the corporation unless you happen to be in a high-level position (which most people will never be in).

[saraid216]

That's true in every human organization. If you're constantly questioning our societal decision not to eat other people, you're not going to make any friends.

[ISL]

> We don't live in a society where people have a large amount of freedom and exist as free independent agents.

We do! We're only constrained by the laws of nature.

For the people that work with/for me, I want them to contradict me when I'm wrong. How else can I learn what they know?