Why do the educated class, who 'suppose to know better,' may still act wrongly?

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Pag_Hingowa

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It will be interesting to see what Catholics and psychologists have to say on this.
 
Without a solid example, all I can suggest is willfulness?

Just because I have an education doesn’t mean I’m good at self-discipline. That I have a rigid set of morals instilled in me. That I’m not able to subject what I want to do with what I need to do. Sometimes, having an education can just mean that it’s easier to rationalize why doing the wrong thing is okay for me personally, even though it’s not okay for humanity in general.

It might be something as basic as sloth. Or something like greed. Or something like perjury. Or something where an immediate benefit to themselves results in the destruction of countless lives.

But just because book smarts =/= street smarts or ability to get along with people at the social level, education =/= always making the right choices.
 
Act wrongly in what regard?

Many of the most intelligent humans have questioned religion, so religious morality is not based on education.

Many educated people rationalize their thoughts and actions to fit their own ideals.

I also don’t think morality is taught at school; It is something that is taught at home (or at least it should be, but this seems to be declining today). An example may be helpful to answer your question more thoroughly.
 
midori said:
Sometimes, having an education can just mean that it’s easier to rationalize why doing the wrong thing is okay for me personally, even though it’s not okay for humanity in general.
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Should the educated class be given more responsibility and accountability in doing what is good and risk more punishment in doing otherwise?
 
Pag_Hingowa said:
Should the educated class be given more responsibility and accountability in doing what is good and risk more punishment in doing otherwise?
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It depends on their position in society more than their level of education. Someone should not be held to a higher standard simply because of education, but if they are in a position of authority and happen to have a higher level of education, yes. If one has the responsibility for the well being of others, they should be accountable for the well being of those they have authority over, to a degree. I do not think they should get more punishment, though, unless their crime was worse or more serious than one of a lower social level.

Basically, I think everyone is held to the same moral standard regardless of education, but one of a higher social/business standing should be more accountable for their decisions, as their decisions will have an impact on more people.
 
karebear92 said:
Act wrongly in what regard?

Many of the most intelligent humans have questioned religion, so religious morality is not based on education.

Many educated people rationalize their thoughts and actions to fit their own ideals.

I also don’t think morality is taught at school; It is something that is taught at home (or at least it should be, but this seems to be declining today). An example may be helpful to answer your question more thoroughly.
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Are you saying that the eudcated class (who are given more resources and opportunities of trainings) is not a guarantee that they know what is good from bad?
 
Pag_Hingowa said:
Are you saying that the eudcated class (who are given more resources and opportunities of trainings) is not a guarantee that they know what is good from bad?
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Does education really teach people right from wrong or good from bad? In my experience both the educated and uneducated know murder is wrong and yet murder still happens from both classes of people. Same with all “natural” crimes or things like vices. We all know things are wrong, but do them anyways.
 
Pag_Hingowa said:
Are you saying that the eudcated class (who are given more resources and opportunities of trainings) is not a guarantee that they know what is good from bad?
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No, I don’t think that someone will know more of what is wrong and right simply because they have a higher level of education. This also depends on other circumstances. I believe morals are instilled in the household more so than in school. It also depends on what you are talking about. I would expect a minimally educated priest to know more about moral laws than an economics professor. And I believe everybody knows good from bad to an extent. I am educated, but from a very young age I knew the difference from right and wrong. I expect everyone, regardless of education to know the difference. So, should someone with a high level of education know the difference between right and wrong, yes, but to a greater degree than an average Catholic, no. It also depends on what the issue at hand is. Should a well educated Catholic be more aware of the Catholic stance on social issues than a less educated Catholic, perhaps. But I do not think a well educated Catholic should be expected to know more than any other Catholic. I also don’t understand what limitation there could possibly be that would prevent someone from knowing right from wrong, unless someone was raised in a household that didn’t teach proper morality.

Edit: I forgot to add this. I would expect Abraham Lincoln to know the difference from right and wrong just as well as any other president in American history, even though he had far less formal education.
 
Perhaps they are more confident in “their own” understanding rather than seeking, trusting, and in following God’s laws.🤷
 
Education has nothing to do with morality. Even the most simple person, with no education and maybe even a learning disability, can be a saint. The most education person can be evil. The two are not related.

“Knowing better” is a moral intelligence, that anyone can possess if they meditate on it… Education mostly leads to professional intelligence, or a certain set of practical skills.
 
The educated class? Most people have a pretty clear idea of right and wrong until they go off to college and come into contact with the educated class.
 
JimG said:
The educated class? Most people have a pretty clear idea of right and wrong until they go off to college and come into contact with the educated class.
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ROFL ain’t that the truth?!
 
Garyjohn2 said:
Education has nothing to do with morality. Even the most simple person, with no education and maybe even a learning disability, can be a saint. The most education person can be evil. The two are not related.

“Knowing better” is a moral intelligence, that anyone can possess if they meditate on it… Education mostly leads to professional intelligence, or a certain set of practical skills.
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Correct. Even Aristotle commented that there is a huge difference between “knowledge” and “wisdom”. He did note that although a smart person could still make bad decisions and they could be JUST as immoral as the next person, he also noted that smart people who WERE moral tended to make better (or at least more informed) decisions than moral people who lacked knowledge.
 
There is a saying that goes something like this: “An education without God only creates smart devils.”

There is a difference between intelligence and possessing knowledge (as gained through education) and virtues, such as wisdom, temperance, humility, etc.

I think the downfall of many educated people is vice. Vice tends to make them do/believe foolish things. They are not fools because they are relatively unintelligent. They are fools because of vice.

For example, many atheists believe that matter was created out of nothing without the intervention of a higher (divine) power. What a foolish statement from smart, educated people.
 
Also, maybe its not that educated people are more evil than lesser educated people but that educated people are more efficient and effective at doing evil than lesser educated people.

P.S. Not trying to discount education. I love learning and believe education can be used for much good.
 
Pag_Hingowa said:
Should the educated class be given more responsibility and accountability in doing what is good and risk more punishment in doing otherwise?
Click to expand...
I’d think educated people have a built-in system of avoiding wrong things for the most part, because they have more to lose. You’re not likely to find a dentist or a college professor running a meth lab, because they’ve invested so much schooling into getting themselves where they are, and so much hinges on their name and reputation, why would they put that lifetime of work in jeopardy? But Joe Blo with a GED who bounces around from minimum-wage job to minimum-wage job every six months is more likely to get sucked down that path, because the benefit:risk ratio makes it more acceptable. But then again, educated people are often better able to afford other foibles than less-educated people can— you never hear about a newspaper delivery guy having three girlfriends stashed away in apartments unbeknownst to the wife and keeping them all supplied in jewels and furs, or about the school janitor pulling off a financial scandal at the ENRON level.

Honestly, the thing about education is that it opens doors. It’s a little awkward talking about an “educated class” because it’s not like they’re a singleminded entity. It’s more that they’ve had opportunity, they’ve had drive, they’ve had an interest in higher-level education; and they invested in themselves to reach a particular goal. But a rocket scientist (Ph.D.); a librarian (MLS); an attorney (J.D.); a teacher (M.Ed.); and say a Doctor of Divinity (D.D.) don’t necessarily have to have anything in common past working their socks off to get those pieces of paper on their walls. They might be charitable; they might be selfish. They might fight addictions of some sort; they might be good or bad with budgeting or savings; they might be proud or they might be humble; they might be warmhearted or they might be bigoted, just like any burger flipper or windshield-washer or gas station clerk. But chances are, because of their education, they have access to positions that allow them more influence than your ordinary grocery bagger— but while a university-level Classicist might do important work in translating obscure ancient texts, does that mean they have a greater moral or spiritual life than the grocery bagger? Does that mean that they love their spouses more, or value their children more? They may or may not— but their education or lack thereof has little to do with it. It has more to do with their understanding of humanity, the moral compass they’ve developed for themselves, and their perception of their role in life.

Educated people do wrong things all the time. Education is no substitute for the common sense God gave a fruit fly. 🙂 But to make education the end-all and be-all of judging a person’s worth-- or the determining factor in how harshly to judge them for their wrongdoings-- doesn’t really make sense as long as the discussion is as abstract as this one is. 🙂
 
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