Several infamous autodidacts, such as Benjamin Franklin, have thoroughly proved that the ultimate mark of being educated is not determined by college diplomas. What is the ultimate mark then, you might ask? Unattainable.
I define education as a life-long process of actively seeking knowledge and using it to formulate perspectives and ideate. To then say that one has obtained the ultimate mark of being educated is self-aggrandizing. It implies that the process of education is complete—effectively, a claim to omniscience. Developing a perspective is achieved through experiences where one seeks knowledge. Naturally then, new experiences would continue to educate—the more we live, the more we learn—effectively deeming the endeavor of obtaining “the ultimate mark of education” to be a fallacious one.
I would go one step further to state that not only is said endeavor unattainable, but it is also undesirable. Even if one assumes that an individual can obtain a “great education,” said individual would lack the incentive to continue upon the process of education after it has been obtained. With no motivation to continue to seek knowledge, the individual would be left purposeless—even though newer experiences would naturally make their education “greater”.
Hence, it is the pursuit of education that one should seek, because, much like with happiness, the ultimate state of being educated is unattainable and undesirable. Nonetheless, lacking a definitive end doesn’t strip education of its purpose, with the pursuit of education being noble and of a higher value, regardless of its outcome.
--
I ran into quite an interesting discussion recently and decided to inscribe my thoughts above. What are your opinions?
