The Case Against Education: Why the Education System Is a Waste of Time and Money

by Bryan Caplan

Despite teachers’ best efforts, most youths find high culture boring—and few change their minds in adulthood.

The typical worker spends the day doing boring work in a hierarchical organization. Perhaps education acclimates children to their future role.

We asked the young people whether they remember having learned something important at school. It seemed to be a difficult question for most. Often the question was followed by long silences and embarrassed laughs. —Elina Lahelma, “School Is for Meeting Friends”110

old Soviet adage, “We pretend to teach, they pretend to learn.”

When Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard, he didn’t just strike it rich; he struck a blow against credential inflation.