The Huffington Post – Taylor Dibbert
“In Defense of a Liberal Education by Fareed Zakaria is a short and smart book. Zakaria notes that in the United States, “a liberal education is out of favor.” He then tells us that “An open-ended exploration of knowledge is seen as a road to nowhere.” The reality is that earning a degree in a subject such as English literature is no longer viewed in an overwhelmingly positive light and far fewer students are pursuing liberal arts degrees than they were decades ago. Currently, students are more interested in pursuing degrees in subjects that they believe will lead directly to employment, such as business or accounting. Zakaria views this trend as problematic and persuasively explains why. Crucially, getting a liberal education fosters critical thinking and writing skills. “Whatever you do in life, the ability to write clearly, cleanly and reasonably well will prove to be an invaluable skill.” The second key benefit is that it “teaches you how to speak.” Third, students are taught “how to learn” and pursue knowledge independently, long after their college careers.”(more)