Formal education isn't for everyone--Thomas Sowell

[ibanezbuyer]

amen.

[jamo387]

As usual Sowell is brilliant and to the point. It sounds like he's talking about the OWS crowd who seem to believe it's more important how you feel about yourself than what you accomplish. Society now owes these entitled philosophy, sociology and political science grads a living.

[bweazel]

1:07 Every person needs to have this sentence pounded into their head.

[llcoolray3000]

America fell behind in math and science when hippies grew up and took over education. They now continue to blame everything but themselves for the problems with public education. Their answer is for EVERYONE to get a four year degree that they are not prepared to earn.

[termsofusepolice]

The lifer prof with rabid disdain for the university system... Almost as funny as Ron Paul, the (almost) lifer congressman with his rabid disdain for the federal government. Those "sour" teats taste pretty sweet to these self-righteous assclowns.

[instantpestering]

@termsofusepolice You can say that, but without the disgruntled men you mention, who would change the university or congress? Certainly the people who really love the way things are will not. Are these men supposed to shut up, never question anything, and just go along to get along?

I think you need to deal in ideas, rather than personal attacks.

[TeleprompterCzar]

@termsofusepolice

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. An objective, open mind would do you well my friend.

[OthelloCarmellow]

"There are requirements in the world."

Dibs on the tattoo.

[canisfamilliaris]

I'm in the uk, and we've got the Olympics coming soon. I'd live at Gold Medal for the 100 metres, but I'm too old, and no where near fast enough.

But I feel I should get the medal anyway, be given all sorts of chances, or maybe they should change the whole concepts of racing (or do I mean race?)

Mayber the slowest should get Gold

It's not fair, it's not fair.

Cognitive functioning, that's intelligence, the left just try to change the meaning.

[Vindigary]

Boom! Thomas Sowell like a BOSS telling it like it is! The real academics are bored and embarrassed when the class is putting on drunk goggles and putting condoms on wooden dildos in the fucking university classroom. The universities have become a racket to put you in debt for the rest of your life in exchange for four years of communist social philosophy. Thank God we have the internet.

[lysol5555]

LOL you can always criticize any system. In Asia generally there is less of this "creativity", "non-academic learning", and people always complain that asian academic system is too elite, rigid, and hampers student's creativity.

People love to complain!

[koyunbaba73]

I went to teachers college 2 years ago. If somebody said what Sowell just said here, they would have been ostracized and publicly vilified, if not burned at the stake. Not only is what he said true and therefore politically incorrect, he also touched on a subject no one likes to talk about: One major reason teachers and administrators and curriculum authors look for non-academic ways to teach academic subjects, is because they consider upholding standards to be a form of bigotry.

[o13starsnstripes]

Well I disagree with him because the fact is that some people can understand the subject very well but not be good test takers. Please trust me on this

[roboty1000]

@o13starsnstripes What do you mean, good test taker? Someone who understands something should be able to answer questions about it.

So I'll assume you refer to people who are emotional, but guess what, in the real world it's even harder. I have to answer to my boss and to clients every day. Not giving a good answer means I lose a client, even my job, or maybe you think that if I say im "not a good test taker" they will say ok, sure no problem.

[o13starsnstripes]

@roboty1000 Its not always as simple as that and yes it is very possible to understand something but to not do well on tests at all. Also I don't know what you mean by emotional because I was not referring to something such as that as all plus a large amount of material that colleges cram into their curriculum is 90 percent crap.

[roboty1000]

@o13starsnstripes You say:

1.you disagree with him, yet you complain about the curriculum. This is the result of making colleges accessible.

2. some people are not good test takers: the only reason I see for someone not doing well at a test is he/she is emotional, they freak at a test, or they are not as good as they say/think (this is what usually happens).

[o13starsnstripes]

@roboty1000 Let me clarify my position on this look at our high schools for example yes I understand that we should teach some kind of science and math but the fact is that most people or I should say most kids don't have an interest in it and once they are finished with the class usually forget the material because they don't care. I think what we in this country should do is incorporate more hands on classes where kids can learn practical skills. I'm typing my answer to the second part one min

[o13starsnstripes]

@roboty1000 Well if someone as you put it is emotional I wouldn't use that term but ok, than honestly I don't think that they should be completely destroyed because of not being able to do well on tests. I mean there are plenty of examples of people who didn't do well in an academic enviroment but did very well in the real world. Einstein is a good example he was a D average student and look at what he went on to do. I am not in anyway saying everyone is like that but it is just an example

[roboty1000]

@o13starsnstripes Also considering your argumentation, I would never hire.

Can't you say more then: I disagree ?

What do you disagree with? That tests are not important? Your wish has come true, now you can pass with no problem, but good luck in the real world :))

Or: some understand but to not do well on tests!

Why don't they do well on tests? I am curious to know who are there people, because in may years of school the only ones who failed tests were the lazy and stupid ones.

[o13starsnstripes]

@roboty1000 I'm not saying that there should be no tests at all, I'm just a believer that a test alone should not be the be end all of education.

[roboty1000]

@o13starsnstripes my last reply: tests have always been the best way to find out if you can't do something. If a student fails his exams that means he's probably not suited for what he's studying.

Today, everyone has a diploma (since tests are a joke) and the one who will tell them: you failed! is a company who will not hire them.

To bad they didn't know that 5 years ago. Also many are unemployed and wait for a job in their field.

[o13starsnstripes]

@roboty1000 Well again I do not say we should not have test we should have test I just don't believe they should be the be end all honestly thats all.

Yes that is true everyone has a high school diploma which is because the schools do push a person through and I am not saying that is good I believe we should have standards I just don't think it should be based totally on what they teach today that I believe isn't very practical for everyday life.

[Lurker1979]

I guess Tom won't be on dancing with the stars any time in the future. :)

[lessiv]

Can someone explain me his standpoint? He likes senseless/senseful courses etc or not

[mistersmith6000]

I worked in an English conversation school in Japan. The students could choose "their" teacher, each and every time they visited the school for a particular lesson or booked a lesson. The boss had a poster, a scoreboard, on the wall of the office to show which teacher was most popular and which was least etc. Our salaries were identical, so it wasn't real free enterprise, but nevertheless, it changed everything about the way I went about carrying myself at school. The students were mostly women.

[mistersmith6000]

@mistersmith6000 (Part two) and might I add, it sucked. I hated it and I finished mid-table. I could only think about being charming and cool. That was our accountability. The boss knew we had egos, and were competitive males. One teacher had been there five years more and he always finished well and above the rest. He had a way of jamming your radar when it counted. No one was ever fired. If no one cared about the score, would we have taught better? No, is my answer.

[mistersmith6000]

@mistersmith6000 @mistersmith6000 (Part two) and might I add, it sucked. I hated it and I finished mid-table. I could only think about being charming and cool. That was our accountability. The boss knew we had egos. One teacher had been there five years more and he always finished well and above the rest. He had a way of jamming your radar when it counted. No one was ever fired. If no one cared about the score, would we have taught better? No, is my answer.

[jamo387]

:23-:30, you can practically hear Sowell thinking "...here we go, another one of these idiots..."

[andrewsaccount09]

Please add this attribution info. This was from the Diane Rehm Show on Jan. 13, 1993, and Sowell was interviewed for his book "Inside American Education" (which I plan on reading soon). Watch in full at c-spanvideo . org / program / 37291-1

[aloha3588]

Its not about invading academic work, its that teaching academic subjects is out of date. The basic structure of the education system was conceived in a different age. The subjects people may be good at are barely taught. We should encourage people to find things they excel in. Schools at the moment are not a place to be educated and do well in life. Formal education as it stands is a place to teach people to be university professors in maths, science and English.

[jackdaman80]

I hate when people say "School is not for me"! I think that is the dumbest thing to ever say! Its just an excuse to not giving it your all! I don't think anyone likes school! I hate school, but you know what! I completed all my academics! I finally obtain my Masters in Business Admin and it paid off! People!!! Just go to school and get that degree! Just think of it as an investment in yourselves!!! Belive me it will pay off!

[AbeChang2]

@jackdaman80 Untrue. Although elementary school, middle school, and some of high school was torture– a waste of time, full of busywork and repetition, with little choice or meaningful difficulty– college is pure bliss. I'm going to miss it when I'm done, but I'm pretty sure work'll be just about as great.

[regelemihai]

@AbeChang2

Depends on the work you'll be doing, but unfortunately work will be harder than school, and twice as hard as college. 2 weeks of vacation a year compared to the 4 months that we get in college, will be torture.

[Tracywithafacey]

"I'm a very bright person" haha who is this person?!

[jackdaman80]

@Tracywithafacey She can't be that bright, if she can't grasp the importance of an education is.

[pretorious700]

an American woman "taking exception" to something? Wow, who would have ever guessed?

[brianpadrickdrake]

@pretorious700 LOL!

[Katruje29]

There's a fundamental confusion between academic research and education. They are NOT synonymous.

[proteanview]

Pyramids, Macchu Piccu, and functional societies have been built by those who learned by doing and not by book or lecture-style teaching. This man confuses his experience, preference & reality with in.universal truth.

[Sauciflash]

You nailed it, good sir!

[H1TMANactual]

LOL that caller got owned!

[spader49]

Thomas Sowell looks the same today as he did 40 years ago, with the exception of the grey in his hair. We need more people like him, he should in fact be the first person cloned. A Sowell for every century, to counter the Jimmy Obamas of this world.

[tstruss912]

sooo....we shouldn't adjust teaching styles because bridges will fall. lol. How do people fall for this crap.

[PumpingSmashkins]

@tstruss912 soo....we should "adjust teaching styles" to cater to the less intelligent at the expense of the more intelligent. lol. How does anybody believe such crap?

You can call it "adjusting teaching styles" 'til you're blue in the face, and it will still obviously be lowering the academic standards.

[tstruss912]

@PumpingSmashkins If you were actually as smart as you think you are, you'd know that the gifted people should be--and normally are--in different classes than the average pupil. I won't waste my time explaining the rest to you. Go look up the teaching systems in countries that have the best schools and then come back and let us know how wrong you were. Thanks.

[jbohler33]

anyone else think that our standards for intelligence has dropped in the last couple of decades?

[BoozysBoozers]

The 6 dislikes on this video must have come from people that are so dumb they cannot pass the college placement tests.

[AnnoyingXboxer]

Main thing i hate about school is how much the kill your grade based on homework.

I got 90's and 100's on all of my Test's, Exams, Quiz's but i FAILED the class for not doing homework.

[TheMarksmenCat]

Public education in the province of Quebec, Canada, is a disaster. Our teachers ask for higher salaries altough a lot of them just sit on their stupid asses all day long and get nothing, in addition to 3 months of vacation. In contemporary world, we wrote down about 2 pages of ''notes'' for the entire year while our socialism-indoctrining teacher makes us do meaningless projects on subjects I could have learned otherwise by myself.

[koala8]

totally agree with everything this guy said....

[davekeays]

Public education for the first 12 grades was a reasonable part of Jefferson's vision. For people to participate in a society where the written word is so important then providing that education for everyone is reasonable. But that leaves college to private institutions. I would like to see HS replace with trade schools when college isn't desired. (If they change their minds they can get the extra education at a community college).

[shanana000]

a car works well when all the different parts do what they are designed to do....not every person can do everything! that's impossible! But everyone has a the ability to do what they are good at. Now go and find out what that is! And stop trying to make robots out of people...they are people that area all different..and should be.

[betof98]

We elected the wrong University Professor.

[jamo387]

@betof98 That is so true. If America were a just society. We'd be living with a President Sowell and Obama would be living in Kenya.

[Lottechoco]

eliminate public education...so students can get better teachers. The quality of public education is almost always lower than private for profit education.

You dont have to excel in math, you don't have to know chemistry and calculus. It is perfectly fine to be an average person making an average living. You don't have to fool yourself.

[jm3083]

@Lottechoco I totaly agree with what you wrote.

[SuperGuitarman69]

Once again leave it to the brilliant Thomas Sowell to put it in perspective.. I hold a degree in economics and one in Comp Sci... I wound up a session musician in Nashville.. Why? Because the world needed my gifts of guitar playing more than economics or computer programming.. Some of the most brilliant people I know are the ones eating eggs over easy at the local Waffle House.. It doesn't take formal education to be smart.. I know tons of Hillbilly Aristotle's.

[superfootdan]

BRAVO!!  This man hits them with sledge hammers!! The "No Child Left Behind" policy made it easy for anyone to become a teacher and make good money without having to know how to teach. Without even having to be accountable for the poor education children are receiving. Look at our educational ranking in the world. Are you going to blame the students?

[fountainherz]

This woman is apallingly ignorant.

Did she ever think to seek help, through tutoring, staying after class, etc. could benefit her?

Why was she trying to -drag down the system to her level- instead of -raising herself up to the level of education-?

[kbdkbd99]

Hahaha that women really made me laugh ... "Hey I'm a really smart person BUT I just don't excel academically" . !!!!

Did you know that 50% of people are less intelligent than average !!

Did you know that the most stupid people genuinely believe they are clever !!

It's about time we were able to say to a dumb person "You ARE dumb, and you're opinion is worthless, and I don't care about being politically correct about your feelings" !

[espada9]

@kbdkbd99: Care to explain why many people who excel in academia are failures in life and never achieve personal success.

There are plenty of examples of people who don’t perform in academia who eventually become leaders in industry even technology based innovation. I’ve meet plenty of educated idiots.

[kbdkbd99]

@espada9 I am afraid to tell you that you are being mislead by what is known as confirmation bias.

Yes of course there are people who succeed in academia who fail elsewhere, and there are people who fail in academia who then go on to success. But so what - that doesn't disprove or prove anything.

Further, you're making a big assumption that I am saying that academic success and real success are the same thing - which I am not.

However trends to exist, and you seem to be blind to them.

[jamo387]

@espada9 This is precisely Dr Sowell's point. When he say he shouldn't be in ballet school, he doesn't suggest that therefore he is an idiot. He merely states that he is ill suited for ballet. Everyone has their own talents.Even the most mentally retarded individual has something that he/she can do fairly well. It is up to us as individuals, families and communities to help nurture those talents and steer our children, students, etc. toward pursuits for which they are suited.

[zeppelin2224]

holy crap, Sowell destroyed that woman in 5 seconds.. wow :)

[VictorLepanto]

If only the world were to listen to Sowell, we would all be some much happier. We wouldn't FEEL as good about ourselves, but we'd be happier.

[eatthatmeatball]

This video clip seems incomplete to me. I think I know where he's coming from, but then he goes on some tangent about how his teachers didn't care how he felt about himself and how teachers (or is it students?) are trying to avoid academic work....

What? First of all, who was talking about self-esteem? What are you talking about Sowell; what was the question? What are you referring to specifically? He mentions Role-play but doesn't cite how it's bad. How do you know it's pushing students away?

[pretorious700]

That lady caller is one of the most amazing things I've ever heard. How can you pass a class in Chemistry IF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND CHEMISTRY???? Her notion is so ignorant and self serving. There is no gray area in math and science. You either get it or you don't.

[pretorious700]

Anyone who ever says "I'm a very bright person" should be disqualified from any further discussion. The incredible self aggrandizement of a statement like that is astounding. That's something OTHER PEOPLE say, you dumb bitch.

[Rensune]

I do agree with Dr. Sowell's stance on standards, but disagree with the current educational system's primary use of education (rote memorization) with very little application. I am more fortunate in that I am able to comprehend subjects instantly, so most "education" is a waste of my time.

[molimhvalaizvoli]

EPIC!!!!!

Sowell is the man!

[jamo387]

Mr Sowell should have been our first black president. Instead we get this community organizer/affirmative action dummy we have in their now. What a shame that the black community by and large will elevate the lowest amongst them and utterly ignore men of true intellect like Sowell, Williams, Cain, West and others. Obama, Jackson, Sharpton and these other racial hustlers are the lowest common denominator. Shame...

[packerfan748]

haha, did you ride the trolley? I DONT GIVE A CRAP!!!! lol

[SoufCackSoxFan]

"very bright but don't excel in an academic setting"......so, she is dumb?

[1czelaya]

Over the last 4 years, while in graduate school, I've come to a very hard and difficult realization. That I'm a libertarian.

As a TA in both physics and chemistry, I see so many students who shouldn't really be there. A great deal of these students barly pass because of the curve. Maybe only 6-7% of the class are hardworkers that will excel in almost any area they ecounter.

What's even worse is that so many students drop out or pursue degrees that are less demanding.

[lysol5555]

@1czelaya I don't think you should judge other people's choice of degree and make a judgment that they work hard or not. Other degrees may be less demanding academically, but more demanding in other areas.

And who care if they REALLY are lazy, their laziness is actually good for you because there is fewer competitions.

[1czelaya]

@lysol5555 Whether a student passes or fails or is incapable of passing science, mathematics, or any other rigorous educational endeavors isn't judgement. You get a grade that reflects your understanding of a subject matter. However what MOST students are buying into is the myth that because you receive college degree-that this is admission to a job. It's a complete fallacy. However if you wish to get a degree in liberal arts for the pure reason of learning so be it.

[lysol5555]

@1czelaya You do not get my point. Passing a class does not correlate too well with hard work, especially in a class that requires INNATE TALENT, such as mathematics, science, and so on. Stop making judgment about other people. Some pass, some fail, that's the way of life.

Sowell made it very clear that understanding science requires innate talent and of course hard work, but talent is very important. Stop trying to degrade other's efforts and put yourself on a pedestal.

[1czelaya]

@lysol5555 For the most part good marks in science and mathematics are a metric of hard work. Do you know why? Because classes such as this build the fundamentals of critical thinking. They require to elaborate and what you're learning. I'm both a theoretical chemist and chemical physicist and I will tell you from the beginning of my education it was apparent that hard work many times can lead to success in these fields. 

[1czelaya]

@lysol5555 In academics you have students who are talented that don't excel-like he describes above. Then you have students that are just average that are willing to put double, triple, the time to understand material like chemistry and physics. No, I'm not saying that every student can do this but I know from personal experience I was that average student who give up my social life because I lived in a library for 10 years because I wanted to succeed.

[lysol5555]

@1czelaya How did you know for sure you are that average student. You probably are smarter than the rest AND put in a lot of effort. Both talent and hard work is required! No matter how hard Sowell tried to dance, he probably won't be a professional dancer! Same thing!

[1czelaya]

@lysol5555 I just realized as I was re-reading my statements that stated I don't agree with libertarian leaning scholars like Sowell and Charles Murray. I meant to say that I completely agree. I don't believe, of course, everyone is endowed with the talent to become whatever he/she wishes to aspire. I'm just stating that hard work can get you far and can further cultivate talent but today's school don't teach the ethics of hard work. I don't believe in education romanticism. 

[1czelaya]

@lysol5555 So, yes, in many instances, hard work can be a path that develops talent. I've yet to take a course that I myself don't understand because I'm willing to work hard. Furthermore you're inferring too much-I'm not special and quite frankly I don't see how you come to that conclusion. I'm of average intelligence and I'm no better than anyone else. The only difference with me is that I'm willing to sacrifice and it's something that students aren't being taught anymore.

[lysol5555]

@1czelaya There is a innate intelligence difference. Stop underplaying your intelligence and over playing your hard work! Are you saying you can be professional at anything JUST by working hard? Are you that naive? Seriously?

[lysol5555]

@1czelaya You are the one who is inferring too much. You infer that others don't work hard enough. You infer that you have the same intelligence as everybody. You assume everybody is just as smart as you are.

[1czelaya]

@lysol5555 I'm not inferring anything it's you. Let me explain. You can't come to a rational conclusion until you've studied any system. You don't know me so you can't make any conclusion-thus you're inferring. How do I know I'm average intelligence? I've taken many standardized IQ test. This is done in graduate school because correlations between achievement and intelligence is always being studied. You know what the data states? Willingness to work hard is vital.

[1czelaya]

@lysol5555 Secondly, you're completely wrong with your 2nd statement. I'm not inferring anything. You know how I've come to that conclusion. Not by my own thoughts but research. It's called statistical data analysis done by the US Dept. Of Education. The US has been in steady decline. So PLEASE, by all means, explain this to me. Go to the Dept. of Education's website & various international rankings done by institutions. Please stop making SUBJECTIVE remarks that you can't prove.

[1czelaya]

@lysol5555 Lastly you're concluding, AGAIN, I want some magical remedy to our decline in education, and you're comments of elites is very humorous. The only change I want is what Sowell puts forth that shifts choice & power back to individuals(student and parents), and diminishes the centralized and monopolistic power of the federal and state governments. Centralization, in many respects, is always caustic agent of a decline in innovation.

[lysol5555]

@1czelaya The thing is, the education system is not as bad as you guys make it to be. You guys make the problem sound worse for your own agenda.

You were the one who first judged other people's efforts, intelligence and so on.

I know I can't convince you. Go back doing the math you love, while condescending other people who can't do it as lazy.

I can do something better than other people too, but I never ever judge them as lazy or whatever if they can't do it. Oh yeah, I worked hard too.

[1czelaya]

@lysol5555 You're now concluding that I'm fabricating a decline in our educational system. Wow. I guess the Dept. Of Education and all those institutions are fabricating lies-including their foreign counter parts. Yes, you've figured out our hidden agenda? Oh, that's right I want my job; the industries that are applicable to my education; academics and so forth to be shipped over seas. I guess my agenda is for my own demise & destruction.

[1czelaya]

@lysol5555 Yes, I guess I will go do some math in quantum mechanics so I can help design drugs that combat against cancer types of BCL proteins. I've taught several college courses. It's not hard to conclude that when students don't show up for class and can't even state on an exam that it's the number of protons that dictates the identity of an element... well that's lazy... a little studying would of gotten you a passing grade.

[1czelaya]

@lysol5555 You're right, you can't convince me because it's a conclusion that is PRIMARILY based on data. If there's data out there that you do know of that would refute these conclusions, by all means, let me know (seriously). In addition, I never made a statement that you weren't good at something. I can't say anything about you're personal talents, morals, or achievement because I don't know you. I'm sure you're good at many things. Lysol5555 I wish you do the best sir/ma'am.

[lysol5555]

@1czelaya Are you good at sports? If you practice 10 hours a day can you become a professional athlete? I am exaggerating a bit but You can see my point.

[1czelaya]

@lysol5555 However you're last comment is alarming. Do you even realize what's happening in out country? The US public education isn't producing enough students, in many cases, for the demands of the US economy. Many universities are offering COMPLETE tuition waivers and paying students to enter graduate school.... and the majority of the students aren't even Americans... THIS IS A DIRECT REFLECTION AT THE POOR STANDARDS THAT MANY ACADEMIC INSTITUTES ARE PRODUCING.

[1czelaya]

@lysol5555 Their laziness isn't good for me or you or anyone else. Our economy is global, & we need graduates that understand the rigors and demands of a global economy-especially in technical aspects. This is why so many PhD jobs are being shipped overseas. We are losing our sovereignty because students recognize who The Situation is on MTV as opposed to our elected officials, historical figures & most importantly getting a real education that immerses itself in critical thinking.

[lysol5555]

@1czelaya what do you want? If everybody pass, then you would also complain You can always complain about anything, nothing is perfect. Do you have anything constructive to add?

Maybe some Americans are just getting too wealthy, why would a bright American study a Ph.d in science if their daddy can get them a job in a company or wall street?

[1czelaya]

@lysol5555 Lastly, I hope you realize the full scope of your last statement and understand what's causing these economic downturns. I hope you understand that governments, lobbying, complex financial instruments, liberal ideology (like the Community Investment Act and its correlation to all these toxic assets ie derivatives), and so forth are at the root problem of our degraded economy.

[minervx]

:57 - 1:28

[thomaserossi]

Don't mess with Thomas Sowell, he's a bad man!

[ACORNSUCKS]

Lots of parents push their kids into college so they can brag, but they should not be there.

[BeyondNeptune]

this man is a hero

[tatsumakisempyukaku]

Lol @ Celtickraut: he owned them all alright

[CelticKraut]

Sowell owned that bitch and Diane Rehm

[hempsteadeagle]

where is the rest of this interview

[jrsub3]

People should read Dr. Sowell's early life. He grew up in a broken home, he had to drop out of HS at 17 to support himself, and he still got into Harvard w/out AA. It was hardass teachers in his early life that kept his priorities in order, who knows what Sowell would have become.

Also, I have noticed that many skilled educators leave the field for something else. It's sad.

[bigman300ful]

no hold one cotton picking minut.

[Sumwit4u]

My son attended a university which actually gave credit for classes in volleyball. (He flunked it--was smoking to much dope to wake up for a 9:00 class.) He got credit for a class in "golf". And we wonder why all the I.T. people, MD's, etc are foreign. Disgusting. The child should be "left behind" if he's stupid. Smart folks should be promoted. So-called "affirmative action" should be stopped immediately. Just because your ancestors were slaves doesn't make you smart enough to be a Dr.

jim

[shaqdaddy11]

haha i know the classes Dr Sowell is talking about. For my Undergrad i had to take one of those classes. For the full semester we talked about our feelings and wrote a daily journal. I remember one time we spent the whole class trying to fix one of our classmates marital problems. And as Dr Sowell pointed out everyone loved the class because it was practically no work lol.

[imrnlil]

Sharper than a two edged sword. Dr. Sowell, my hero.

[borstalboy1981]

I am not suited for formal education myself and I couldn't agree with Dr. Sowell more. I also think the points he makes here are a solid argument for his free market principles. If educational decisions were made by the people via the market, there would be different schools for different types of students.If this woman is not suited for chemistry, she should not be forced to take the course, nor should more inclined students and instructors have to slow down to her pace.It's unfair to everyone.

[Myndir]

@borstalboy1981 Yep. If she's good at chemistry labwork, there are probably any number of vocational courses at which she could excel and go on to get a great job.

We're not all the same. We all have our abilities and our shortcomings. As you say, we need schools which recognise the differences between students and enable them to pursue excellence their own talents. This doesn't mean good schools vs. bad schools, because we REALLY need more vocationally skilled people in the modern economy.

[jamo387]

@borstalboy1981 I would go even further and state that this is precisely the reason that the United States is suffering from declining excellence on the international stage. The erroneous belief that people have the "right" to be whatever they choose and that it is societies responsibility to see that these "rights" are honored is at its rotten core. Used to be you had the right to the "opportunity" only, if you didn't have "the right stuff" you were quickly pushed out of that academic program.

[cirosuperiore]

dr sowell is almost like he is from another planet. way too smart for the rest of us.

[carlindelco]

Wow Sowell again offers a succinct clear and lucid analysis on a very important issue, the de-educational system. The lowest part of the class succeeding.. that explains a lot of what is going on today.

[CountArtha]

This man is a national treasure.

[HopllyteAlpha]

I love this... a long time ago it was something it live past your 30's. With the invention of modern medicine and laws... came the rise of STUPID PEOPLE. Which is why the old were so highly respected, you were like SUPERMAN and EINSTEIN to live that long. Now the old say with age comes wisdom... now age comes all by itself. Now in the youth of America being intelligent is not "Cool".

[jfuya2000]

Dr. Sowell may have come off as harsh and a little untactful here, but unfortunately, he is correct and speaking truth. A lot of ppl (young ppl) today are dumber than the generations of the past due to dumbing down of requirements.

[neonaction]

i don't know why classes have to be dumbed down so students can feel good about themselves. For examples, art classes in US has dumbed so that students who can't draw to save their life feel like they were actually making art! same with every other subjects.

[rojasrod]

genius

[neoaeonian]

What clear and utter sense.

[rudarisfinaris]

@neoaeonian sobering

[MoBExtortion]

Do you happen to have this full interview?

[thetevinguy]

I hate ineffective scholastic gimmicks as well.

[neonaction]

well said, the women was just in denial that she just isn't smart enough for chemistry. Sowell was right, cleverness comes in all shapes in sizes!

[rdemanow]

@neonaction Einstein said the same thing: "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by it's ability to climb a tree, it will live it's whole life believing that it is stupid."

[Califacience]

@darkaudiovideo What the heck is "real life Chemistry"?

[darkaudiovideo]

@Califacience I meant that a lot of Chemistry in the real world can be more 'hands on' which some people have a good intuition for, despite the fact that they might not be so good at the written word or written exams.

[Califacience]

@darkaudiovideo Theoretical Chemistry has been a part (a major part actually) of the MODERN science of Chemistry, and the present state of knowledge within that field would be impossible without it. To learn the science as it presently exists one must therefore learn theoretical Chemistry.

[pretorious700]

@darkaudiovideo what a total load of nonsense. Do you want your medicine being prescribed or mixed by "intuition"? How about the steel in an automobile? Water treatment? Typical modern stupidity.

[darkaudiovideo]

@pretorious700 Yeah because Einstein was just good with numbers and had no intuition?

[papeluso]

"There are requirements in the world!"

I love it Dr. Sowell!!!!

[peezapai]

@papeluso

That was the best line in this entire video!!