What's the Use?
I am often faced with the following question from students: "Why do I need to learn this, if it's not related to what I need for my career or not important for my life?" I never understood where this question comes from nor did I grasp the question sufficiently well to be able to offer an adequate or convincing response. Mostly my responses were specific to the question asked, such as, "This topic is really important because so many dollars and this many people are impacted by what happens with these ideas that we just learnt today". But recently, the penny dropped and I think I have found a more general reply to this question. Its summed up in two words - "everything's connected". With this perspective, it becomes clear that everything is relevant. And indeed it is. Taking too narrow a view of education can be very costly. Should not men learn about motherhood? Will it not make them better fathers? Should not social scientists be aware of the main...