Higher education leads to disbelief?

[angelcookie]

I find this sort of thinking in different arenas, that higher education leads to disbelief in supernatural things, God etc. This is interesting because it sounds like a fallacy to me, true higher education would lead people to question and by reason they will come to know truth. It's difficult to have a meeting of the minds when many are misplacing the term higher education with what is really a conditioned data flow sheet people follow and deem educated and use that as authority to data train others. I do not have a great higher education though so maybe that's why I still believe in natural things seen and unseen. 

[Miriam_M]

I find this sort of thinking in different arenas, that higher education leads to disbelief in supernatural things, God etc. This is interesting because it sounds like a fallacy to me, true higher education would lead people to question and by reason they will come to know truth. It's difficult to have a meeting of the minds when many are misplacing the term higher education with what is really a conditioned data flow sheet people follow and deem educated and use that as authority to data train others. I do not have a great higher education though so maybe that's why I still believe in natural things seen and unseen. 

AC, there may be some correlation, but it may not be causation.  That is, it seems to be more a matter of association.  (Depends on the dominant politics, emanating mostly from individuals, within a campus department and/or the campus as a whole.)  Those who are academics by profession, especially those in the humanities (interestingly, more so than in fields like political science) can be quite radical in the sense that they are often deconstructionists and iconoclasts.  That has been especially true since the second half of the twentieth century, but I'm sure that there's some radical thought documented in graduate departments on campuses of earlier eras, too.

Ironically, or perhaps paradoxically, those in the humanities were previously thought of as those who upheld tradition in the sense of enduring values.  That is because humanities professors also studied classical philosophy, which respected and assumed absolutes and some universal reference points.  it's also because history professors in particular saw their role partly as preserving legacy and continuity for the generation they were teaching.

Although -- as I say -- there were pockets of radicalism among academics of previous eras, that didn't begin to compare with the far more widespread and organic rebellion against tradition, absolutes, and respect for the past which surfaced in the 2nd half of the 20th century.  In addition, the influence of Marxism not only began to flourish then in academia (having begun earlier), but even now, in the 21st century, an art history, English literature, history, foreign language, studio art, music, or film scholar (graduate or undergraduate) can easily encounter opinionated professors who are overtly Marxist in their interpretation of virtually all concepts and all social movements.  Some of these professors are outright caricatures, they are so extreme.  And these professors are highly influential toward their vulnerable student subjects. It manifests in the reading material on the syllabi, in the content of the lectures, in the topics for study approved and not approved by the professor, and in the assigning of student grades.

Finally, the shift away from Western thought to World thought (including atheism, paganism, and so-called "World religions") was a politically inspired move to destroy the dominance of Western civilization in academia.   

In other words, the professors controlling the content of teaching in higher education are often not intellectually honest but highly prejudiced and with a political agenda.  Students who spend a long time in such settings (because they're obtaining a graduate degree) can be subjected to the influence of atheistic Marxism and other fashionable trends of modern thought, all leading away from God at least "officially."  How much of previous belief a student is able to maintain privately would rest on a combination of factors:  individual background/catechesis; personal fidelity/spirituality; and individual temperament (the ability to resist political pressure against belief).  But even a strong individual can be severely tested in a saturated environment.

[james03]

If Higher Education includes Greek Realism, then it leads to a stronger belief in God.

For that matter, if the Biology taught includes recent discoveries in Bio-nanomechanics, it will lead to a greater belief in God.  Same if it teaches Goedel and information theory.

[clau clau]

I wonder if there is a thread called "Electricity leads to dis-belief" on the Amish/Menonite traditional forum ?

I got made redundant last month (it seems that a person in India can do my job for 1/3 of what they pay me).  It certainly focuses one's mind on what is really important.

[JubilateDeo]

I wonder if there is a thread called "Electricity leads to dis-belief" on the Amish/Menonite traditional forum ?

I got made redundant last month (it seems that a person in India can do my job for 1/3 of what they pay me).  It certainly focuses one's mind on what is really important.

My husband has to manage a team of developers in India and I am always hearing about their incompetence.  Let's just say you get what you pay for. 

[Daniel]

I'd say the problem is due to the Enlightenment and to modernism. "Higher education" these days is based not on truth but on skepticism and scholarly opinion. Scholars don't start with belief in God. They start in a state of complete ignorance, and then they attempt to reason their way to truth from there. But one clear problem is, it's easy to get lost.

University campuses also have a reputation for "freedom of expression" and other such un-Catholic practices. Students (and even people who aren't students) are free to promote homosexuality, contraception, abortion, feminism, tolerance, humanism, immodesty, and all sorts of other evils. And to make things worse, if you are a student and you live on campus you are constantly being bombarded with this sort of stuff. And some of these ideas are even directly endorsed by the colleges.

On top of that, the whole focus in education has shifted. The purpose of a liberal education used to be to make you into an overall better person and to enable you to better devote your life to God. But that's not the case anymore. Now it's all about acquiring skills or knowledge for your job. (And not even that. In practice, it's not so much about skills or knowledge as it is about getting a degree. Because even if you have the skills and knowledge, employers won't hire you without a degree.)

I would also point out, generally speaking I don't think there is much reason for young women to attend college. As I said, college is almost entirely about getting a degree so that you can pursue some sort of career. But women generally shouldn't even be working, so the whole idea of a woman attending college doesn't seem to make much sense.

[clau clau]

college is almost entirely about getting a degree so that you can pursue some sort of career. But women generally shouldn't even be working, so the whole idea of a woman attending college doesn't seem to make much sense.

Tell that to Margaret Roper.

[Daniel]

college is almost entirely about getting a degree so that you can pursue some sort of career. But women generally shouldn't even be working, so the whole idea of a woman attending college doesn't seem to make much sense.

Tell that to Margaret Roper.

I said generally. All I am saying is that it's not woman's role to devote herself to some career unless necessary (contrary to the modern / feminist attitude which basically makes women into men and deems them worthless and unsuccessful if they do not seek after jobs or bring in a ton of income).

edited for clarity

[Quaremerepulisti]

Higher education leads to disbelief in the same way that stepping outside where there are lots of pathogens can lead to infection with a fatal disease.  If you are immuno-compromised, or never developed a healthy immune system in the first place due to being raised in a bubble, it will be very dangerous.  Otherwise, not so much.

[christulsa]

In some ways yes.  In some ways no.

There is almost no reference to God or absolute values.  The humanities tend to be liberal.  The administration creates a secularist, liberal environment.  In my experience it was the environment or ethos of the place that encouraged disbelief.

But tbh most professors didnt push anything very ideological.  Math and science seemed relatively safe, plus the classics I took.  For as many atheist students I got in arguments with, there were students genuinely trying to understand the world in light of the faith they learned as children.

I agree with Quare.  It all really depends on how strong your immune system is going in.

Some kids need to go to college if they want a career.  Its the best choice for them.  But I recommend getting as much of the classics and western civilization as possible, plus math and science (just ignore the evolution part).

[Carleendiane]

Many, many of these kids in college just want to be able to provide well for their future families. The problem lies more in the environment. Sending a well formed young adult to college, one with a well developed BS meter will not ruin their souls, even though being taught by liberal tree hugging socialists. But, the coed, partying, nihilistic, sexually charged environment might. May not, but might. To go from watch your P's and Q's to anything goes can ruin a kid with the wrong temperament, or a kid with weak defenses. Just because one of yours made it through, relatively unscathed, doesn't mean the next will. If you know, really know their temperament and virtue, as well as their weaknesses, you MAY be able to see which will be able to withstand the temptations and which will not. It can be a bit of a crap shoot.

To me, being of a practical mind, I lean towards the trades. Save a ton of money and afterwards, little debt, but great earning potential. There is much to consider. Is he/she even handy at all. Would this be at all satisfying....though it really doesn't have to be, when the paychecks are consistent and benefits good for skilled trades. Or is he/ she more cerebral, more artistic, more lovers of history or just wired for a different lifestyle. Again, know your young adult. Watch them closely throughout their teen years. Maybe skilled trades would be a torture. Not everyone is wired for that, but many are. Just channeling these kids into unnecessary debt because they all SHOULD GO TO COLLEGE. No ....many shouldn't. Shouldn't be saddled with this debt, nor thrown into environments that may end up entrapping their souls in the swamp of temptation and sin. Hey, temptation can be found anywhere, but come on.....the secular institutions, for some, are like making trip down a very dangerous path. Just for a degree that may or may not facilitate the generating an income  that will maybe be enough to raise a fair sized Catholic family. When a skilled trade will unquestionably provide as much or more. So there's my two cents, for what that's worth.