Why are some people in academia so naive?

Question

I am a grad student, but took a long break in school to work for a while. I am constantly at awe with how naive and idealistic some of my classmates are. They usually are younger and work on campus. How can anyone who is so educated be so naive to the world? Many of them seriously think they know how to fix all of society's ills and are on a quest to apply their "superior" knowledge. I am not bagging on all of academia (I am a part of it as a student), but there seems to be a portion of it that is this way. What do you think?

I'm not saying that people should not have dreams. I have dreams. And by idealistic I mean having a very underdeveloped understanding of counter arguments, potential weaknesses in their thought, and barriers to application. Arrogance would be a good description of their attitude. Basically, I have serious issues with their attitude that their way is the only way and it will save the world. If anyone else proposes alternatives or points out a weakness in their argument they fly off the handle.

Answer 1

I found myself thinking the same thing when I was in grad school. I worked as a professional for 6 years and went back to get my Masters. Well, the saying "experience is a good teacher" is a good saying. Like you said, most of the younger students never experienced life outside of campus or "mommy and daddy's" house. They have not experienced or communicated with other diverse groups. I was actually astonished by some of the statements I heard.

I admire them for their passion...however, there is more to the world than their little bubble. They need to get out and experience life in a way that is not within their norm. I believe that is how people grow (through experience). They can then use that passion to contribute to something. It is better to stand for something than nothing...but it is tough to try and save the world!

Answer 2

They don't call it "The Ivory Tower" for nothing! Most of these students don't have a lot of "real world" experience and they come from middle lcass or upper middle class backgrounds where education is valued and stressed. Also, a lot of people in graduate school are in graduate because they are fairly intelligent and love to learn; therefore they have a hard time understanding why everyone doesn't think this way or because they are used to doing a lot of reasoning, they have a hard time dealing with irrational people. I've been guilty of this myself. I went to grad school in a very poor area and had a lot of trouble understanding how people got themselves into certain circumstances and if only they'd follow "simple" solutions based on "superior" knowledge they'd be so much better off. It takes a lot of empathy to really walk a mile in another person's shoes. It doesn't necessarily make your way of looking at life right or wrong, but understanding is the first step towards change.

Answer 3

A lot of the problem is the foolishness that arrogance breeds, and another part is the skewed opinions that lack of experience does.

Professors for the most part began their academic career right out of high school, went through sheltered university life for nearly a decade and then began a teaching career.

They may have a great deal of facts in their head, but they also have an even greater amount of opinion on how those fact connect which they mistake for facts, and it is the opinions of people, who like them, had the emotional maturity of high school kids.

Now the people you are speaking about are not those people, they are the idiots who hero worship them. That's like the bottom of the barrell.

My personal opinion is anyone who wants to teach others must hold a job in the labor market for two years and live off what they make. Then they can lecture.

Answer 4

You are wise beyond your years. I think a part of it is the academic world trying to increase the value of those degrees. I see this trend increasing as the cost of education rises. Students are being manipulated by the professors because they can't afford to fail a class and accept everything a professor says as gospel. Education is important but how narcisistic is it to say that all knowledge stems from books and professors? Individual observation is dying. People are being brainwashed by political correctness to the degree that open debates have become shout downs on campuses. Many of the most successful people are college dropouts or never went at all. But you will have more employee opportunities with a higher degree, though.

Answer 5

I think it is that they rely too much on "book smarts" vs. "street smarts." I am in the computer hardware business and the best technicians I have met have all been self taught with hands-on experience. You get these guys fresh out of school with all of their certificates, and they don't even know where to start on a system. There really is no substitute for "doing."

Answer 6

I think if everyone had a beaten down and jaded world view things would look even worse. Let people have their dreams, something they believe in that motivates them. Who cares how out of touch with reality it seems to you? As long as they aren't endangering someones life or their own, then why discourage them?
We all lose that spark soon enough, the fact that they still have it is amazing.

Answer 7

The answer to the why is "because they think they are "superior in knowlege" it turns me off. When someone thinks he is wise in his own eyes, considering himself as the messiah and solution to world peace and world problems its simply an opinion which they more than often outgrow with experience. My advice, let them find out more, and more, and more, who knows, maybe they can do something great. - afterall thats how innovation comes to play!