Philosophy Discussion Forums | A Humans-Only Club for Open-Minded Discussion & Debate

[Sushan]

This topic is about the February 2025 Philosophy Book of the Month, They Love You Until You Start Thinking for Yourself by Monica Omorodion Swaida

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The debate on whether a man (or a woman) has to have a formal education to succeed has existed for a long time and is still ongoing. Philosophers like John Dewey have argued that education needs to be deeply connected to experience. Plato emphasised formal education (instruction) as the foundation of knowledge. Steve Jobs challenged the belief that traditional schooling is the only path to success.

In her memoir, we see how Monica felt the urge to go back to school and finish her education 'to find a direction in life'. But she later went into the real estate business while learning it on the job.

I felt that it was time for me to complete school since I had made so much money. There was no reason for me to keep earning money while I was getting older. I needed to find a direction in life, and I considered enrolling myself in a school as one of the initial steps to achieving that purpose. Therefore, by the time I decided to go back to school, I knew I was going to say goodbye to the world of business. 'Welcome to school life, Monica,' I said to myself.

Is it still valid to believe that formal education is necessary for success? Or is it just one of many paths to success?

[Mounce574]

It is just one of many paths to success. A piece of paper saying you can regurgitate information doesn't mean that you are qualified for a job. Experience is something that is highly valued by most employers.
Children who are homeschooled- that's not formal education. However statistics show that many of those children score higher on IQ tests than public and private school children.

[Sushan]

It is just one of many paths to success. A piece of paper saying you can regurgitate information doesn't mean that you are qualified for a job. Experience is something that is highly valued by most employers.
Children who are homeschooled- that's not formal education. However statistics show that many of those children score higher on IQ tests than public and private school children.

Yes, experience matters, and that is why employers always ask for experience.

But at the same time, educational qualifications (paper qualifications) are also considered in employment because that is the way that employees can be compared and evaluated objectively. So, still, paper qualifications are a requirement.

When it comes to IQ, I think it is like BMI, that can be misleading in various occasions. There are many who are out there who won't pass a formal IQ test (maybe the issue is with the test ) but will outperform anyone with their experience.

What do you think? Any suggestions on objective assessment methods rather than looking for paper qualifications or IQ?

[Mounce574]

That is a difficult problem. I know some of the tests ask questions that are unrealistic. When testing my oldest son (he was 5 at the time) some of the questions asked if he could prepare his own meals, balance a checkbook, and use public transportation without assistance. Obviously, he wasn't able to do those things so his score was lower. I think the objective assessment would asking the person how they would perform a specific function of the job being advertised. Then possibly have them demonstrate the action.

[Sushan]

That is a difficult problem. I know some of the tests ask questions that are unrealistic. When testing my oldest son (he was 5 at the time) some of the questions asked if he could prepare his own meals, balance a checkbook, and use public transportation without assistance. Obviously, he wasn't able to do those things so his score was lower. I think the objective assessment would asking the person how they would perform a specific function of the job being advertised. Then possibly have them demonstrate the action.

You have a point there. it is of no use in checking a fish for its climbing abilities, and a monkey for swimming abilities. So, was that an IQ test that your son was subjected to? It sounds rather ridiculous to subject a 5 year old to such a test and mark with a low score.

Yes, people interviewed for blue-collar jobs (and some fields like software engineering) can easily be tested by asking them to perform a part of the expected job. But some jobs are to be trained, and only the ability to train such a job has to (and can be) tested at the interviews. And this becomes more difficult when it comes to executive roles, where decision making and thinking is the mainly expected job role.