# What should every educated person know?



## Roland Khan (May 10, 2009)

that the white gummi bears are without a doubt the best ones....anybody who disagrees with that fact is uneducated, simple as that.


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## Just_Some_Guy (Oct 8, 2009)

I would say that an educated person should study a worldview that has nothing to do with the western paradigm. Perhaps Buddhism or Daoism. And not just as they appear to the western worldview! This ability to see things differently at a fundamental level, I think, adds a degree of understanding that most never contemplate.


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## heartturnedtoporcelain (Apr 9, 2010)

Arbite said:


> I'm a big believer in everyone reading the major religious books. Bible, Qu'Ran, Torah etc...


Why? I really don't see the necessity.


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## Arbite (Dec 26, 2010)

heartturnedtoporcelain said:


> Why? I really don't see the necessity.


Books that changed the world. For better or for worse. Plus there are few faster ways to turn people away from organized religion than reading their associated holy books.


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## heartturnedtoporcelain (Apr 9, 2010)

Arbite said:


> Books that changed the world. For better or for worse. Plus there are few faster ways to turn people away from organized religion than reading their associated holy books.


I just think you need a basic understanding of each of their corresponding religions' precepts - no need to waste your time like that  . I've managed pretty successfully to dislike religion and, well, the whole idea of having faith in god(s), without reading any of the actual texts.


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## jay_argh (May 27, 2011)

Arbite said:


> Books that changed the world. For better or for worse. *Plus there are few faster ways to turn people away from organized religion than reading their associated holy books.*


Bingo. Reading of the Levitical massacre altered my view of God being good, holy, etc... Reading criticisms almost galvanized me in my belief, I chose to see with my own eyes, and found the pettiness of "God"...


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## Nasmoe (Nov 11, 2009)

The should all know how to dougie.


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## TheWaffle (Aug 4, 2010)

Basic geography. I'm a junior in high school, and yesterday I heard a classmate claim that Africa was a country. What the hell?

On a more serious note, I agree with the following quote. Everyone will find their own niche, so I think it would be fruitless to make everyone skilled in every single area of study, especially ones that have little practical or psychological value. Broad and basic is good.



fourtines said:


> How to cook their own food, shoot a gun, defend themselves against predators, how to make money in a recession, how to win friends and influence people, and how other people truly live in other cultures so they have some perspective on humanity.
> 
> People really do need reading and writing skills, basic math skills, and a broad range of science and history facts. I honestly believe people should know more about science, history, and sociology than they need to know about proper grammar and spelling, or abstract maths.
> 
> ...


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## Roland Khan (May 10, 2009)

*dons his flame retardant suit*

that science trumps religion in all aspects of life, including morals

flame on


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## littlemisswise (Dec 14, 2011)

It is essential i think to note based on the thread of the discussion about what clever people should know, that school primarily teaches one how to think as opposed to knowledge used on a peripheral level (what to do and how to do it).


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## Xiong Mao (Apr 19, 2012)

Every educated person should know that just because they're "educated" doesn't mean they have common sense or are immune from appearing stupid.


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## Just_Some_Guy (Oct 8, 2009)

INTJ_Eagle said:


> Every educated person should know that just because they're "educated" doesn't mean they have common sense or are immune from appearing stupid.


 I suppose the corollary of that would be that uneducated people should never assume that someone lacks common sense just because they're educated.


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## Blindfolded Miles (Mar 13, 2011)

It makes me happy how different each of the answers on this thread are. Everyone is so unique. It's actually really beautiful and quite fascinating. 

"...to ensure that they have a solid understanding of the world." Does one ever understand the world? I think this thread just proves that everyone's understanding will be different which is why I don't think there is a specific set of requirements that one needs to achieve in order to be deemed "educated."


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## twoofthree (Aug 6, 2011)

EmotionallyTonedGeometry said:


> I suppose the corollary of that would be that uneducated people should never assume that someone lacks common sense just because they're educated.


Why direct the thought at the uneducated?


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## hylogenesis (Apr 26, 2012)

They need to know how to look both ways before crossing the street. We wouldn't want to lose our educated citizens. Imagine the hell that would break loose.


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## Devin87 (May 15, 2011)

I'm a fan of liberal arts education and to me "educated" means at least a Bachelor's. Therefore, I believe every educated person should have a basic command of language and the ability to organize his or her thoughts and present them in a fairly accurate, comprehensible way. That includes decent grammar, spelling, and logical order. I don't care if you're a math major, you should know how to write, as organized writing helps develop an organized mind, which is important in any field.

I also think educated people should know how to debate rationally and logically. In fact, I think it should be a required class for college freshmen. One should know how form and evaluate an opinion, how to CHANGE one's own opinion if it doesn't fit, and how to respectfully and effectively debate with others. I also think everyone should learn how to to play devil's advocate, as I believe a thorough understanding of the other side of an argument is vital to developing your own beliefs.

Finally, an educated person should know how to learn on one's own. I believe a truly educated person will never consider his or her education completed and will constantly strive for a higher level. Educated people should be always on the lookout for ways to add to their knowledge and should have to skills to do that.


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## 22575 (May 23, 2011)

I think the fundamental differences in the responses are due to varying interpretations of necessity. Some have taken it to mean basic necessities for survival, others to demonstrate intellectual competence, and others yet to satisfy one's own intellectual curiosity. 

I am of the notion that there are invariably certain skills which we require in order to get on in our day to day lives lest we become utterly dependent upon someone else (how to obtain food, shelter, and develop community), but this is only a certain kind of education. We may further probe into types of education which help to enrich our understanding of the human condition, and perhaps even improve our own lives or the lives of others. This spans history, science, psychology, philosophy, and everything in between. On this point, I believe that we should strive for knowledge for the sake of knowledge, and to be endlessly curious about everything.



fourtines said:


> I have NEVER needed trigonometry. Ever. Not once. I have, however, needed history to a large degree(and good lord so do others, given their faulty assumptions about people and society), while you relatively downplayed it. I find an understanding of history to be of paramount importance, and I think people need psychology and sociology before they need physics. Some people aren't even equipped to understand physics.
> 
> I would also argue that the arts - music, painting, theater...SOMETHING - are more important to the long-term emotional and mental health of the average person than calculus.
> 
> While I agree that everyone needs to understand the earth sciences and biological sciences, and also that a nice firm grasp of economics and at least one other language is important, I really do not think that trigonometry and physics are all that important for the average educated person than higher levels of artistic expertise are to the average educated person.


I must admit that I am a tad taken aback by the fact that you have ranked earth and biological sciences above physics. Underlying these sciences are the laws of physics which are the most fundamental principles for understanding how the world is structured; without these connecting principles large swaths of the other sciences would be brute memorization. (In fact I am sure some physics was snuck into these classes under other guises, usually described as esoteric "patterns"). Could you perhaps elaborate on this choice?

I could somewhat see where you're coming from in terms of sociology and psychology being more necessary than science to the layperson because they are generally assumed to be people applicable skills, *BUT* I absolutely cringe because both of those subjects are breeding grounds for flawed logic, and they both like to act as though they are sciences.


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## Thalassa (Jun 10, 2010)

unsung truth said:


> I must admit that I am a tad taken aback by the fact that you have ranked earth and biological sciences above physics. Underlying these sciences are the laws of physics which are the most fundamental principles for understanding how the world is structured; without these connecting principles large swaths of the other sciences would be brute memorization. (In fact I am sure some physics was snuck into these classes under other guises, usually described as esoteric "patterns"). Could you perhaps elaborate on this choice?


Because you need these facts to actually function, you know, IN REAL LIFE. You could go blissfully unaware of the physics under biology and earth science, and still benefit from knowing how and why humans and animals reproduce, and what kind of plant life is edible and what it needs to grow and why.

Clearly my thinking is a lot more factual and practical than yours. In fact, there's absolutely nothing practical about presuming that ALL people can learn physics. The thread is about what EVERY educated person should know.


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## 22575 (May 23, 2011)

fourtines said:


> Because you need these facts to actually function, you know, IN REAL LIFE. You could go blissfully unaware of the physics under biology and earth science, and still benefit from knowing how and why humans and animals reproduce, and what kind of plant life is edible and what it needs to grow and why.
> 
> Clearly my thinking is a lot more factual and practical than yours. In fact, there's absolutely nothing practical about presuming that ALL people can learn physics. The thread is about what EVERY educated person should know.


You just described sex ed and farming... not bio and earth science. In reality, if we are going for sheer practicality, you don't need to know how to farm, and you don't need to know how animals reproduce, you just go to the supermarket and buy your food, so I am missing the part where your thinking is "more factual and practical". 

As for assuming that *ALL* people can learn physics, I never insinuated this. Although I would say that *most* people can learn physics and most educated people should have at least a basic understanding of classical physics. And physics does have practical applications (it's called engineering). You can do everything from wiring a circuit (make an electric motor or a speaker for example) to designing and creating a mechanical component for your car. Beyond that you can answer curious questions (the kind that kids like to ask) like why the sky turns orange at dusk and why it's blue during the day, or why the tides come in twice a day.

Excuse me if I am wrong, but I get the sense that you are opposed to this subject because you encountered some problems understanding it. (note: this is not meant to be an insult, I am merely trying to understand where you are coming from). I did have the good fortune of a good physics teacher in high school, and I know all too well how a bad teacher can spoil a subject for someone.


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## 22575 (May 23, 2011)

@fourtines
addendum:
How physics may help humanity understand it's place in the universe and how insignificant our petty battles are


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