I tried to combat the feeling that is indeed so common in current society. That universities are the place to learn a certain practice as some think. This feeling was the basis of the article and it got some focus off the main point of universities…

Universities should indeed be about advancing current knowledge. But I think that many ways are antiquated. Many knowledge is based on age old abstract structures and I think it is time for some rethinking of those structures from a practical view. People are already ‘brainwashed’ into those structures before they can decide themselves. Many times overlooking the foundations of those knowledge. Too many knowledge is based on text and many of it can be translated to simpler forms with current media.

With faster learning I meant faster understanding. Seeing structures faster, seeing faster what is right or wrong about current theories. To learn faster people need motivation and inspiration that is often missing from the exact studies.

And indeed, it seems to work best for philosophy, music and literature. Because those are done in their natural language and inspiration is the main point there. But the exact and social fields of study needs some rethinking I think.

Too much emphasis is placed on “learning fast” and “practical knowledge.” If that’s your thing, fine – that’s what career colleges are for. That’s their niche.

Universities are for “pie in the sky” dreaming, learning how to learn, and learning how to assimilate and understand seemingly disparate pieces of information to create a new, third body of knowledge.

It’s a failing of the current social thought that University is where you go to “learn stuff you need to get a job.” It’s not. It’s to learn how to advance the field you study, and to do that you need to understand the underlying theory behind it. CS is a wierd example for many reasons, not the least of which is that the field by it’s nature is practical – figuring out how to implement something on a computer. It’s the same with biology, physics, any of the “wet” sciences.

Where academia really shines is in disciplines like philosophy, music, literature – any of the liberal arts, really.