In his essay, “The Marks of an Educated Man,” Alan Simpson writes that training the mind will help an individual achieve higher cognitive abilities. The best results of liberal education cannot be achieved until the mind is trained to think clearly. Without proper mental training, a true liberal education cannot take place.
Since everyone’s brain does not work the same, the same amount of knowledge may not be present in two different individuals. Simpson speaks of using one’s ability to think hard and examine life, thus making possible a truly liberal education, which in turn allows progress and reform of our educational system.
One of the main thoughts that Alan Simpson puts forward is the idea of not being afraid to make changes, especially if they are going to lead to progress in our traditional systems. Simpson goes on to state that a characteristic ability of an educated man is his ability to recognize false doctrines. It takes a certain amount of skepticism to combat the con men and fact-filled fools that populate the earth today.
Without proper education, we become more gullible to false teachings. The educated man has tried to develop a critical faculty for general use and likes to regard himself as an excellent judge of falsehood. Having doubts allows a person to expand their knowledge on a subject. A person seeking a good education will usually ask questions and make sure they get a good answer before being fooled by something false.
Fools, scammers and scammers in this world can fool others by presenting fake messages. Most of those who practice this are nothing more than blatant liars, but they feel that they have a sanctity that puts them above all others. These so-called “authorities” are nothing more than fact seekers and very often end up getting caught in their own traps.
Without a liberal education, they cannot combine knowledge, skills, and standards. For the most part, they are affected by the environment and the media. The lack of a liberal education makes them very open to scams and they are definitely not analyzing, praying or thinking about situations as they should. These are the victims of proud scammers.
Having good liberal education skills can be a preventative device against highly educated scammers. Farces are a reality for us even in the higher education stages. They surround us everywhere. From professor to scientist, both are known to use invalid and embarrassing speech. While college-level people can be fooled by scams, people with little or no educational background are especially prone to and will almost certainly fall victim to scams.
University students are influenced by professors and clerics, but people outside of the university world are largely influenced simply by what they read, see, and hear.
Simpson’s essay reveals that possessing liberal education skills enables a person to recognize false doctrines. Uneducated people will allow an individual to negatively influence them more than liberally educated people. Educated people help keep fools and swindlers in their place and away from the follies of human nature within the charades.
Alan Simpson concludes his essay with a fascinating and exciting statement: “We are no better for not knowing a clown when we see one.”
