Kingwell's Essay 'Education, Democracy, And The Life Worth Living'
Kyle Stevens
Dr. Dunne
English 1102
9 February 2014
Reading Response In Mark Kingwell’s argumentative essay “Education, Democracy, and the Life Worth Living” (2012), Kingwell argues that people should not assume how well someone is educated based on how much money he/she earns. Kingwell’s purpose is to express his opinion towards education in order to convince the reader that education should not be about currency, but rather about making an individual more intelligent and better equipped to cross the threshold into the real world. In this essay Kingwell appears to be writing to any citizen who wants to learn what real education should be about. I personally agree with Mr. Kingwell’s perception on education. I believe that a person’s …show more content…
education is something to be valued more than its eventual monetary pay-off. People should choose a career that they enjoy, no matter the education needed to achieve that career, or the amount of money they will make. In the end, a higher education should be more about a career that will make the person happy, rather than one that will bring only monetary rewards. In this essay, Kingwell employs philosophical reasoning to undermine what he calls the “standard position” on education.
He claims that adherents of the “standard position” are the many people who go to college only to get a better job and earn more money after receiving a degree. Kingwell furthers his argument by rationally evaluating the standard position’s assumptions regarding usefulness: “Something is useful when it has instrumental value” (241), states Kingwell. Instrumental value ultimately refers to money (241), which he feels is a false goal for education particularly since he indicates that money is a “tool” and does not have a “use”. Kingwell further dismantles the “standard position”, by noting that, “The standard position was founded on a paradox: university graduates are overqualified for the jobs they do; but you should still go because there is a statistical link between a degree and higher income” (242). What the author means by this statement is that most people go to college not because they want the education that comes along with it, but because they want the money and the job that comes in tow. After a thorough dissection of the standard position, and the problematic premises and assumptions, Kingwell highlights his views on the college education and why you should really go. He
writes: We actually need graduates more than ever precisely because democracy depends on a population of engaged, critical thinkers who have general humane knowledge of history, politics, culture, economics, and science- citizens, not consumers, who see that there exists shared interests beyond their own desires (243). Here his arguments are supported by his claim that students should go to college for the educational purposes, rather than personal purposes. In the final analysis, Kingwell undermines the standard position by turning to Socrates, who suggests that an education should make us wonder how best to live (243). Living a virtuous life is more important than a financially beneficial one.
Works Cited
Kingwell, Mark. “Education, Democracy, and the Life Worth Living.” Connections. Ed. Mary Lamb. Southlake, TX. Fountainhead Press, 2013. 238-243. Print.
Dr. Dunne
English 1102
9 February 2014
Reading Response In Mark Kingwell’s argumentative essay “Education, Democracy, and the Life Worth Living” (2012), Kingwell argues that people should not assume how well someone is educated based on how much money he/she earns. Kingwell’s purpose is to express his opinion towards education in order to convince the reader that education should not be about currency, but rather about making an individual more intelligent and better equipped to cross the threshold into the real world. In this essay Kingwell appears to be writing to any citizen who wants to learn what real education should be about. I personally agree with Mr. Kingwell’s perception on education. I believe that a person’s …show more content…
education is something to be valued more than its eventual monetary pay-off. People should choose a career that they enjoy, no matter the education needed to achieve that career, or the amount of money they will make. In the end, a higher education should be more about a career that will make the person happy, rather than one that will bring only monetary rewards. In this essay, Kingwell employs philosophical reasoning to undermine what he calls the “standard position” on education.
He claims that adherents of the “standard position” are the many people who go to college only to get a better job and earn more money after receiving a degree. Kingwell furthers his argument by rationally evaluating the standard position’s assumptions regarding usefulness: “Something is useful when it has instrumental value” (241), states Kingwell. Instrumental value ultimately refers to money (241), which he feels is a false goal for education particularly since he indicates that money is a “tool” and does not have a “use”. Kingwell further dismantles the “standard position”, by noting that, “The standard position was founded on a paradox: university graduates are overqualified for the jobs they do; but you should still go because there is a statistical link between a degree and higher income” (242). What the author means by this statement is that most people go to college not because they want the education that comes along with it, but because they want the money and the job that comes in tow. After a thorough dissection of the standard position, and the problematic premises and assumptions, Kingwell highlights his views on the college education and why you should really go. He
writes: We actually need graduates more than ever precisely because democracy depends on a population of engaged, critical thinkers who have general humane knowledge of history, politics, culture, economics, and science- citizens, not consumers, who see that there exists shared interests beyond their own desires (243). Here his arguments are supported by his claim that students should go to college for the educational purposes, rather than personal purposes. In the final analysis, Kingwell undermines the standard position by turning to Socrates, who suggests that an education should make us wonder how best to live (243). Living a virtuous life is more important than a financially beneficial one.
Works Cited
Kingwell, Mark. “Education, Democracy, and the Life Worth Living.” Connections. Ed. Mary Lamb. Southlake, TX. Fountainhead Press, 2013. 238-243. Print.