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Originally Posted by CliffFletcher
Okay, your turn. Empirically back up your assertion that educated people have more diversity of thought and opinion.
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Originally Posted by Cowboy89
Naturally they don't have such diversity of thought and opinion, because in their minds they only hold universally correct opinions, because they're more educated and have the pieces of paper to back it up!
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I don't believe I actually have to do this. Living in a western democracy where everything we take for granted is because of education, where our institutions are framed by those who went on to achieve success in higher education, and where much of what we know is because of the contributions of those who learned their lessons in higher education. To question that people who went through the system of learning to learn, develop advanced critical thinking skills, develop a continual thirst for more knowledge, and expose themselves to the experiences of others to better understand issues, as not having a greater insight or diversity of opinion is falling for the ridiculous messaging coming from the extreme right. The intellectual dark web is nothing more than an intellectual cesspool. What a sad statement on our society, and more importantly, those that went to school to supposedly learn. But here we go anyways.
Education affects opinions and more education has a positive effect on those opinions.
The Effects of Education on Political Opinions: An International Study
"Education influences most political opinions; the effects can be summarized by saying that it promotes individualist values. Education is associated with somewhat lower confidence in most institutions. The relationship between education and confidence becomes weaker with economic development, while the effects of education on a number of political views shift to the left with economic development. The results suggest that education deserves more attention in explanations of national differences and historical trends in opinion."
Taking that to the international stage and looking at a problem associated with ignorance and intolerance, education acts as a drag on terrorism for a plethora of reasons, which will be covered not only in this research but also by Borgen.
Great Expectations and Hard Times: The (Nontrivial) Impact of Education on Domestic Terrorism
"Lower education tends to promote terrorism in a cluster of countries where socioeconomic, political, and demographic conditions are unfavorable, while higher education reduces terrorism in a cluster of countries where conditions are more favorable."
On the opposite extreme is that education greatly impacts ideals and leads to greater understanding of each other and peace.
Education and civil conflict: a review of the quantitative, empirical literature
"Most of the arguments presented in the literature on education and conflict pertain to levels of education, or government investment in education. What these propositions have in common (with few exceptions) is that more education fosters peace."
"Socioeconomic inequality is among the factors frequently used to measure grievances, and is often seen as giving rise to conflict. General theories of relative deprivation posit that whereas absolute poverty may lead to apathy and inactivity, comparisons with those in the same society who do better may inspire radical action and even violence (Gurr, 1970). In line with such theory one should expect that uneven distribution of education could breed grievances that could potentially cause conflict. Ferranti et al. (2004) argue that education is in fact the main driver of socioeconomic inequality in a society."
The wellbeing effect of education from the UK Economic and Research Council clearly provides support for the claim.
"Education is often used by people to shape their ‘social identity’, framing their understanding of themselves and their relationships with other people. A positive, affirming social identity is associated with a range of positive outcomes in life, such as increased wellbeing, health, social trust and political engagement."
"Higher levels of education are associated with a wide range of positive outcomes - including better health and wellbeing, higher social trust, greater political interest, lower political cynicism, and less hostile attitudes towards immigrants.
Level of education is the strongest predictor of outcomes (compared to age, gender, income, employment status, and marital status) in all models, except for the outcomes of wellbeing and health.
This ‘education effect’ is both robust and relatively stable over time, with little variation in the surveyed population across a range of 25 years. The effect is particularly marked for the outcome of social trust, becoming stronger within the same people as they age.
Across all education levels - low or high - people who report that they are satisfied with their education level and have incorporated education as part of their identity are benefiting psychologically."
And then the
Borgen Project, focusing on the global plight of poverty, identifies the top ten effects of education on society.
"Education is important in the creation of any democratic society. As Franklin D. Roosevelt says, “Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education.” People need a good education if they want a good democracy.
Education is needed to make a society geopolitically stable. Without a proper educational system available to everyone, terrorists could use free education as a way to radicalize people. In other words, geopolitical stability is one of education’s most powerful effects on society.
Education leads to economic prosperity in the global marketplace. One of the most important effects education has on society is giving the people who live in a society the skills they need to compete in the global marketplace, and the skills they need to produce technological goods that can be sold on the open market. Socrates best expressed this idea when he stated: “Prefer knowledge to wealth, for the one is transitory, the other perpetual.”
Education gives people the knowledge they need to elect capable leaders. Plato stated, “In politics we presume that everyone who knows how to get votes knows how to administer a city or a state. When we are ill… we do not ask for the handsomest physician, or the most eloquent one.” Education helps the members of society see through the manipulations used by politicians to get votes so that the members of the society can vote for the leader who is best able to run the society.
Education helps promote tolerance in a society and helps reduce common conflicts between diverse populations in an urban setting. Helen Keller said that “The highest result of education is tolerance.” Educating members of society about other people who either live in the society or its neighboring states have the power to reduce many conflicts.
Education has the power to help societies, and the world in general, change for the better. According to Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. Malcolm X says that: “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” Education is a powerful tool that can be used to make the world a better place to live in.
Education is important because it helps members in a society learn from the mistakes of the past. Plato has stated that geopolitical stability cannot be created by forming a democratic government; if the government is established by force or because of overthrowing an old regime, the new government could transform from a government that encourages peace and democracy into a new government that uses force to maintain power. Having an education is important because good education allows members of a society to learn from past mistakes and prevent the same mistakes from happening in the future.
Education is the first step a society needs before giving rights to women and other minority groups. Education is a powerful tool that enables women and other minority groups to gain fundamental civil rights. It is important to treat women and other minorities with respect in the classroom. Abraham Lincoln stressed the importance that education has in helping people who live in a society to more fundamental civil rights when he said, “The philosophy of the schoolroom in one generation is the philosophy of government in the next.”
Education reduces violence and crime in societies. Teaching people to read has been shown to prevent people from engaging in crime. In fact, the Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment is a charity group uses education to combat violence and crime.
Education creates hope for the future. Giving people hope that they can improve their lot in life is one of the more powerful effects education has on a society. John F. Kennedy best expressed the power of a good education when he said: “Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation.” JFK’s words about America apply to every society on Earth."
Each and every one of these points speaks to education providing greater diversity of thought and more diverse opinions on important matters. Without our education systems, and especially our higher education system, we would not be churning out the leaders of tomorrow that will hopefully foster the continual evolution of our society to a place where everyone is considered an equal.