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Reviews
The Case Against Education: Why the Education System Is a Waste of Time and Money by Bryan Caplan
ishanjmukherjee's review
3.0
Probably correct, almost certainly too long. Also see this thoughtful post by Sam Atis: https://atis.substack.com/p/the-case-against-public-intellectuals
jamesthesnake's review
4.0
Very good counter intutive take that educaiton 80% signaling and conoformity, but doesn't really say what a different system would look like.
adamtad's review
5.0
I do not entirely agree with this book, but I give it 5 stars as it was written very well and it succesfully challenged my beliefs and forced me to look at things from a new angle
thejdizzler's review
5.0
I have to wonder if a lot of the other reviewers even read the same book that I did. Kaplan meticulously goes through the data on schooling and education premiums for different degrees, highlighting the sheepskin effect of the graduation year, which is proof enough for the existence of signalling. He then defangs critics arguments: such as educational enrichment of "higher cultural values" (by going through high culture sales data), and makes a case for vocational training).
As much as it sucks to admit that we waste trillions of dollars, and literally years of people's lives, such a levelheaded approach to the data is needed. I would challenge any and all of you who have a positive view of education to check out this book and to come up with a credible counter argument.
As much as it sucks to admit that we waste trillions of dollars, and literally years of people's lives, such a levelheaded approach to the data is needed. I would challenge any and all of you who have a positive view of education to check out this book and to come up with a credible counter argument.
quixoticreader13's review
2.0
I read it so you don't have to. Some useful information for the current debate topic, but it was hard to take this libertarian screed against education too seriously. And that was before I got to the chapter that calls for relaxed regulations on child labor.
jademelody's review
3.0
okay. the last [text]book I had to read for my economics senior seminar wasn't horrible. so I have decent hopes for this...
finished: it was pretty good! definitely intriguing and made some interesting points; a lot of which I agreed with. others scared me... as an economics undergraduate and a woman...
finished: it was pretty good! definitely intriguing and made some interesting points; a lot of which I agreed with. others scared me... as an economics undergraduate and a woman...
bootman's review
5.0
What's the most important aspect of finishing college: the education or the diploma? Answer: The diploma. As a college dropout who loves to learn, I've been extremely interested in how education is more about signaling than the education, and I finally found someone who wrote a book about it. Once I picked up this book by Bryan Caplan, I couldn't stop reading it. As the title suggests, this is all about the case against education, and it's an interesting perspective because Caplan is an academic at a well-respected university.
Not only does Caplan dive into numerous studies and statistics, but he also argues his point extremely well from a philosophical stance. I was also shocked at how much we actually spend on education because I thought it was massively underfunded. Now that I know how much we spend and how much teachers still struggle with school supplies and are underpaid, it's even more apparent that the education system needs a massive overhaul.
On a final note, I'm definitely adding this to the list of books I'm having my son read when he gets to his 2nd or 3rd year of college to help him make a more well-informed decision about his future.
Not only does Caplan dive into numerous studies and statistics, but he also argues his point extremely well from a philosophical stance. I was also shocked at how much we actually spend on education because I thought it was massively underfunded. Now that I know how much we spend and how much teachers still struggle with school supplies and are underpaid, it's even more apparent that the education system needs a massive overhaul.
On a final note, I'm definitely adding this to the list of books I'm having my son read when he gets to his 2nd or 3rd year of college to help him make a more well-informed decision about his future.
skybalon's review
5.0
An economics professor at a prestigious university arguing that our current educational system is a waste of time and money is automatically interesting. Add to that the way it is presented is both interesting and backed by data. Loads of data. Ultimately he may not want to agree with the author but you can't say the position isn't backed by data. He even gives a link to a spreadsheet where you can change things and see the ultimate effects.
The other remarkable thing about this book is that the author is very upfront about his biases and offers space where he lets others disagree with him. Two things that just aren't usually done, but should be done all the time.
Highly recommended.
The other remarkable thing about this book is that the author is very upfront about his biases and offers space where he lets others disagree with him. Two things that just aren't usually done, but should be done all the time.
Highly recommended.