What would the world be like if there was no longer poverty, and everyone had free access to an education?

Question

Wow, what a responce! I don't think I'm ever going to be able to pick a best answer!

Answer 1

It can't exist.

Answer 2

Poverty will then be redefined as having less than, maybe US$100 a day?

There will always be poverty, in a sense that poverty means that you are poorer than others, not just poor, but poorer.

So even if everyone was to be educated. Someone has got to do the dirty lower paying jobs!

Prices will rise till only the richer can afford the luxury goods.

There has got to be competition, and the more educated, the more intellectual will still have the edge over the lesser intellectual. Sure, you can provide education to everyone, and even tailor the system to suit everybody's needs, but there will always be the gap between those who are faster learners, better learners, even if the gap is small.

Education cannot give abilities and talents to everyone. Because we are all unique, differences will always exist. Differences in ideology. There will be no equality in terms of finance unless you can develop a world without differences!

The world may improve, but the best and the worse will always exist.

Answer 3

That would be a two-edged sword at this point of time.

Ideally and what everyone hopes for, is that everyone's needs could be met financially with enough to get by and everyone would have a chance to learn and maybe chart their own career path. We all would have our place in the world.

Certain crimes would also be eradicated. No longer would anyone have to steal or join a gang to survive.

Here are some potential downsides I can see though.

Poverty could have a whole new meaning. Instead of what it's SUPPOSED to mean (i.e. not enough to eat), we'd be hearing sob stories about not having two cars and cable TV. And the craziest part is some people might actually find that horrifying.

Unemployment would probably still exist not because there aren't enough jobs to go around, but because some educated people wouldn't be willing to take menial jobs. White collar jobs being almost every educated person's ideal, who'd be willing to do blue collar and do it well anymore? Also, there even might be some people who won't bother to even graduate from college as long as their needs are provided for.

Also, we might have spoiled younger generations on our hands. Notice how spoilt most of the kids are in first-world countries (no offense intended). Also, most of them are funned out by the age of 25 and young deaths would be due to despair-filled suicide from no "highs" left in the world.

In short, a whole world full of bourgeois?!!

Poverty is an evil we all wish wouldn't exist, and I too hope it disappears, but lack in a person's life can have positive effects.
Lack humbles us and teaches us to focus on what is important and what isn't.
It sobers and, in some cases, matures us because in order to survive, we have to be somewhat responsible.
It teaches us to VALUE the luxuries we have rather than take it for granted.
And if taken with the right perspective, it can drive us to do great things just like any other form of pain.

In short, it's a fantastic ideal but the question is, is the human race ready to handle it?

Answer 4

Be a bland place to live. Everyone is as smart as you are and makes almost as much as you do. Where is the incentive?

If Tiger Woods made as much at McDonalds as he does on the golf course, why work that hard! Why perfect your skills.

People come to the US for opportunity. The Opportunity to be the next Bill Gates.

First you have to define poverty and perks.

A brain surgeon goes to school for 25 to 26 years.

No trash man would ever go to school that long.

What separates the Brain Surgeon from the Trash man?

Car, house, wife?

The Trash man will still think they are living in poverty!

What incentive is there to be a brain surgeon if you make the same as a trash man!

People say you're talking Socialism or Communism, actually Tribalism is closer.

Everyone has a meal.

Everyone has a dry, warm place to stay.

Some people have more skills, like Medicine Man.

Some people work harder, like those who go out and kill the food and bring it back.

The woman who skin and cook the food also work hard.

The lame and the eldery just get food and shelter.

What is the incentive for a 19 year old male to risk his life killing a wild boar for food if he is one the same level as a lame boy who can't do much of anything.

I once did some pencil pushing, if Bill Gates' fortune was divided among the world it would amount to something like $800 each.

A one time payment.

Here is the world in reality.

You eat "meat" unknown type. It comes from a common source and is given to you in food.

You a vegetarian you eat just the veggies and maybe get a hair more. Unknown type.

YOu have no say.

It's what is available.

No one owns a house unless everyone owns a house.

Things like musical instrument colletions or Barbie doll collections are common museum pieces, not personal property, unless EVERYONE can have a set, then there is nothing special about it.

It is Christmas, on your birthday, on your first day of vacation, all the relatives have gathered and your job is fixing the water lines and the water lines break, you put your coat on and go outside and fix it without being told to do so, for no extra pay and you lose your vacation day. Sorry.

YOu also lose your dinner and all you get of that evening is stories from the little kids.

YOu don't get to see the relatives, have your dinner or enjoy Christamas and your first day of vaction, instead you work in -10 degree tempratures all night long fixing pipes so everyone can have water.

No one calls you up and tells you do to this. You see the water outside and know you have to fix it, because it is your job and you are the closest.

This is your Eutopia.

YOu get no extra pay. You get no extra days off.

I mean, why should YOU be special!

Your house catches fire on Christmas night, what the Fire Department going to tell you

Sorry, eveyrone is home for Christmas, call us tomorrow when we resume business as usual!

Your reality is boring without riches and if there are riches then there is poverty.

You reality is boring because if we are equally smart, whose going to win the debate!

YOu and I both know which end is up, there is no discussion!

There is no need for Yahoo Answers, because EVERYONE knows the answer.

What a bland, gray world that is!

Answer 5

Actually, world would be pieceful if there was no longer poverty and everyone had free access to an education. This world is now becoming worst condition due to imbalance between rich and poor people. When there is some distance between people, there will certainly occur unpieceful environment. But, if really there was no longer poverty and everyone had acc ess to an education, there would not be "first and second World War". In other hand, this world would be like a happy family where no one hates to others and everyone loves to each other.

Similarly, education plays an imporatnt role to make this world as a nice place to live. If everyone gets free access to an education, every country gets developed fastly and as a result, this world gets more fascinating and developed place.

In conclusion, I would like to say this world would be developed, pieceful place if there was no longer poverty, and everyone had free access to an education.

Answer 6

I wish that were a goal in our country and our world. I think that if we all were at least at that level, the things that could be accomplished in this world would amaze us all.
Knowledge is always power, even if it only lifts the spirit of the person, it has the power to do that.
I think that we have let former generations elect officials that have made the system worse- it is broken in several spots but can be fixed if we the people put forth the effort to do that.
We have the power to take back our government and make it a system that isn't so corrupt and backwards.
All of our citizens should have health care, we should have an energy bill- at least solar power- then the poverty and education issues also can be addressed.
I think that we could do great things throughout the world if we all worked together. There are horrid situations going on worldwide that are worse than our problems that we could help to improve.

In answer to your question, sorry for my ramble- I think that it would be a step towards a dream that many have wished and hoped for for our entire race for a very long time.

I'm not saying it would solve all of our problems but it would enable all of our people a chance to be involved more in how we work to fix them.

Answer 7

Nice dream, sure would be something to think about. Truth is though the problem of poverty is not going to get better. Poverty is getting worse and will even be more so until something is done about the over population. if you think there is plenty for all then you sure must live in a bubble. Address the population problem and then there may be some hope. There will be more fighting as the population increases. Feed for all and eduction for all is not possible at this time. Just think if all had a good education then who will do the dirty unwanted jobs for us educated people. Oh did I say us.

Answer 8

My dear girl, don't you know that education is not the ticket to end poverty? One can visit any HO-BO jungle (skid row) in the world and find people that are very educated. Lots of people (that are living in poverty) choose to be living that way, or have mental and/or physical problems that doesn't allow them to fit in with the rest of the world. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink! Still we must help these people, or they would just die. Alcohol, and drugs have a hold on many of them, to the point of them not being physically able to work! I'll agree on one thing, it IS a shame people live this way, but some people you cannot help. The world would still be the same even if they had free access to higher education, because for each job, there must be someone to do it, or the world would not exist as we might think it would. Have Fun!

Answer 9

The world you describe could not exist for long, for several reasons:

1) Human nature. It sounds bad, but there are people who don't care for education. There are literally hundreds of scholarships that go completely unclaimed every year because people either don't bother doing the research to find them or because no one bothers to apply. Lots of people complain they can't afford to go to school, but where there's a will, there's definitely a way, and they'd find one if they were willing to look hard enough. Yes, there are extenuating circumstances that might keep some people below the poverty line, but a goodly number of them simply aren't willing to make the sacrifices necessary to improve their lot in life. Also, being humans, we tend to be greedy, and what you're describing could only happen under true communism, where everyone works for the greater good and no one takes more than what they need, so it wouldn't last long once people started looking around and trying to figure out how to get MORE than their fair share. It's who we are, and we ignore that at our own peril.

2) Economics. I don't mean money, I mean supplies. Alberto Malthus came up with a population theory that states that a population will always grow faster than the food supply. In times of surplus, the population will grow until it consumes the excess, at which point there will be hunger again. Some ecologists estimate that the earth is capable of sustaining 14 billion people, assuming all arable land is farmed to capacity and everybody is given a fair share. Once the population rises to that point, however, there will be a shortfall in the food supply, and somebody's going to go hungry.

If we were to wave a magic wand and everybody could afford to go to school and live comfortably without hunger or real want, it would be a wonderful thing, for a little while. But human nature and Mother Nature would ensure that it wouldn't last very long. Sorry to burst your bubble, but...

Answer 10

be realistic, there will always be poverty somewhere in the world.

In different parts of the globe there is already free education, and still poverty hasn't resolved...doesn't that tell you something? Like there is a reason for the poverty level?

With regard to education, our schools here are at "C" level but that doesn't stop people from flocking to this state. 56 percent of the kids graduate. 1% go on to college. People pay taxes to the state and the state pays for the school education and the teachers and their assistants, etc. And the lottery pays for part of the education too. If kids aren't learning it's surely not because of the system.

Answer 11

I like your question but the thing is that there are always going to be people that's not willing to put in work towards their education. The mind set of those people would still be the same, there will still be crack heads and other addicts in the world.... The government will still corrupt...

The property value of houses will be much higher, Inflation will still be around and more people will be even more miserable (more money more problems)....Think about the gold diggers they will have nothing to work for.... Ford/Pontiac and other American car companies will probably go out of business everyone will drive a foreign car because of the luxury...

Basically allot of jobs would be at stake........... Just think about it for a minute the companies would have to pay top dollar because the employee has the proper education....Who would want to be a receptionists if you have a degree...