384: Professor William Boyes - The Demise of Government School and the Future of Academia
Professor William Boyes, Austrian Economist and Director of the Center for Economic Liberty at Arizona State University, joins School Sucks for the first time. I was introduced to his work through the following video posted in the School Sucks Facebook group:
It's always exciting when a prominent figure at an enormous public university - the largest public university by enrollment in the U.S - openly calls for the end of public schooling. Professor Boyes has called education the #1 issue facing us on the path to greater personal and political liberty.
Preliminary question: People on the left don't want to hear from their opponents; the fact that opposition even exists in so-called social justice or economics issues seems to be a complete outrage. What are their suspicions, why do people believe libertarian ideas should be silenced and dismissed?
Discussion Topics and Questions:
1. You've publicly called for an end to public schooling...
How would you explain to an incredulous colleague - or even to the predictably left-leaning college student - the problems with school?
-in economic terms
-in historical terms
How did you learn about the history of the government school system and its intentions?
2. A 4-step process for converting public schools to charter schools and then to for-profit schools
3. There's an ideological battle that needs to be won first, right?
-what about the machinery of left-wing thinking in higher ed?
-describe the echo chamber effect
-what victories have you had against that machinery in AZ?
-what are some defeats or frustrations?
-Is Academia is completely hopeless?
-Should we work within the system?
-How do we go about opening up dialogue in universities?
-What is the future of higher education?
4. You said you didn't learn about economics in your economics Ph.D program?
5. Home-educated students in college:
Do your colleagues consider inquisitive students to be more of a nuisance?
what is your experience teaching home-educated students?
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