"There’s a reason elite schools speak of training leaders, not thinkers–holders of power, not its critics."
That was picked out and sent to me by Jordan Peacock.
Sentences to ponder
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Revealed preference.
Because that’s where their money comes from.
(And the only reason you cite is that he compliments you, not that you are struck by it – is there no end to your narcissistic self-promotion? )
Thinking is cheap. _Critical_ thinking on the other hand is woefully undersupplied, especially among so-called “leaders” and those who are supposed to provide them with information.
I like to think that the current system prevents smart (yet non-intellectual) people from doing any real damage, much like high school (teenagers), business school and wall street (type-A personalities), academia, government, etc.
The comfortable bubble-institutions we have created are remarkably effective at maintaining the status quo. Anything else would be counterproductive and likely dangerous…
Sure, civilizations may rise and fall, billions may be born and die, and we all may lament losing our 401k’s when the next bubble bursts, but – as the article states, and I am inclined to agree – our institutions have blinded us from seeing the big picture. They have neutered us from thinking big thoughts. The status quo our institutions protect is not one which will be disrupted when they fail – it has been bred into us.
Our specialization renders us inadequately prepared for the unknown.
“Being an intellectual begins with thinking your way outside of your assumptions and the system that enforces them.”
Except that assumption. Embrace that one to the exclusion of everything else.
‘The essential precondition for introspection is solitude’ which make truly sense. The status quo our institutions protect is not one which will be disrupted when they fail!
I think this sentence fragment says it all:
“elite colleges relentlessly encourage their students to flatter themselves for being there”
Instead of bemoaning his inability to talk to people outside his ivory tower, the author could, like, be the change he wishes to see in the world and actually engage in activities new to him.
That said, I do agree with a good portion of his message, just not his overall assumption that things are getting worse… including his comments pertaining to fashion.
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