What Does It Mean To Be Truly Educated?

David Silvestro

Jan 16 · 3 min read

We tend to have a distorted view of education. Instead of a place to learn and prosper, we see our education system as a means to an end.

What does it matter if we actually learn? We just need to graduate with academic recognition so we land our dream jobs.

In many institutions, students don’t learn as much as they conform to guidelines. This is forced upon them as ungodly tuition fees hang over their heads. They want to make the most of every penny they’ve spent, and the best way to do that is to play by the institution’s rules.

As the cost of higher education continues to rise, students plunge further into debt. Since 1991, the average cost of tuition has increased by over 300%. What’s more striking is that outstanding student loan debt in the U.S. reached an all-time high of $1.41 trillion last year.

Although the cost of a degree has skyrocketed, over half of college graduates in the U.S. say it was worth the cost as it led to promising job opportunities. But the pursuit of future employment has overshadowed the desire for students to actually learn. Instead, they choose memorization over comprehension and forget all they’ve learned after the final exam.

Perhaps this is what’s wrong with our education system. We’re not always being educated, but being trained.

In an insightful interview, Noam Chomsky, an award-winning thinker, and professor discusses what it means to be truly educated and identifies a major problem in many educational institutions.

The Two Types of Education

Chomsky suggests there are two common types of education.

The first being related to enlightenment. We’re in pursuit of the highest goal: to live a life of inquiry and creation. As naturally curious beings, we explore our fascinations and seek information to satisfy our wonders. The institutions that best educate their students encourage them to challenge popular views, question authority, and be scavengers of information.

They also teach students how to learn on their own — how to find the proper resources, ask the right questions, and recognize patterns in information. This provides a foundation for life-long learning after graduation.

The second type of education is indoctrination. These are institutions that have a structured and linear way of teaching their students. Instructors teach the curriculum to a tee and expect their students to follow in the same manner. There are very strict guidelines in the way one completes assignments and conducts their research, limiting creativity, free thought, and students’ ability to pursue their own interests.

Most educational institutions fall into the second type of education because it gives them a level of control over their students. They impose more debt on the student body to have them conform.

The distinct differences between these two types of education lead Chomsky to the question:

What should systems strive for?

Chomsky says to answer that, we need to decide if we want a society of free and creative individuals, or a society full of individuals that might increase GDP.

Even if a nation is focused on increasing GDP, indoctrinating students is not the way to go about it. A nation without creative exploration has no hope of innovation. Systems need to equip students with the skillset to learn on their own and fulfill their deepest curiosities.