I think there is the distinction between ‘a person with education’ and ‘an educated person’. I view a person with education as someone who is trained and has acquired the relevant knowledge and skills to do a certain kind of job or be an expert in his or her chosen field, for example, a pilot, an engineer, a doctor, a counselor, a mechanic etc. Whereas ‘an educated person’ I would think is someone, apart from being well-schooled and knowledgeable, is also a person of value and integrity.

As Dr Albert Einstein once said ‘Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value.’ Well, if one can be both successful and educated, he or she is definitely an invaluable asset to society.

: I think that educated person is just a product that is made in a factory. Its name is ‘School’. I think that perhaps educated person don’t have unique features. but “Educated person” is someone who has qualifications to do things well. and He wears in suit and neck tie.

English is foreign language for me. I am a korean. In my country, “Educated”, “Trained” and “Skilled” are synonyms. We usally use “finished university” as same mean of “Educated” in English.
“finished university” maybe is akward in English.

I don’t have a university degree but don’t think my statement was any different from that made by John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt in their book, ‘The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy’ which I’ve been reading in order to get a better idea why we are in this position today. It seems that if you tell people that you’ve read their book you are labeled as an anti-Semite and Jew hater.

Education is not better than training, it is merely different. An educated person will have undergone a process of learning that enhances mental capabilities and intelligence which they can use in personal, intellectual and novel situations. Being ‘educated’ differs according to place and culture. In western society bachelors and PHD’s are impressive and tick the boxes for being ‘edcuated’, but put this person in the gibson desert and see who is deemed the more edcuated, the one who studied classics or is able to ‘translate Devanagari scripts,’ or the aboriginal people who have never been to universities, but know the difference between poisonous creatures and the safe ones, and know how to survive.

Back to engalnd… now higher education is more accessible to the masses, having an education does not necessarily put you in better stance compared to those who are trained. Our society is so competitive, there will be so many educated people without jobs, whereas there will always be a demand for those who have trained in a particular profession. Education or training has to have a use, in the desert the use is survival, here the use ultimately is surival by means of money.Historically knowledge was seen as sinful, aspiring to be Godlike (genesis), those who have knowledge today sometimes lose morals and become very self absorbed, whilst horizons are meant to be broadened, socially they become very narrow minded. There is a social stigma attatched to tradesmen or those who do the ‘dirty work’ and ironically it is the ‘educated’ person who is more knowledgable about the world who is responsible for attatching such demeaning lables!

And, welcome!

@cooper: I’m going to take a stab and guess that you’re cooper from 9rules, yes? (If not, that’s fine, too.)

You don’t need to feel guilty for thinking they are less educated you just need to feel guilty because you think less of them.

Well said. I’m trying to work on tearing down my ivory tower, which I’m afraid I’ve been residing in for a while now.

@Gnorb: You’re so strange. What’s that from?

When you hear or read the expression “educated person,” what comes to mind?

“I am the very model of the modern Major-General
I’ve information vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I know the kings of England, and I quote the fights historical
From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical…”

To some degree your original thoughts are right on. Education relies heavily on the piling on of knowledge. For everything we learn we have the ability to learn more. I see educated people as people who have a cumulative body of knowledge in one or more disciplines, people who have learned to use logic, and who are able to continually increase their knowledge about any given thing based on their previous learning’s – whether it be multidisciplinary or in a single field.

In some cases one can have the same result if self educated it is just not as likely.

You feel guilty because you think less of people who do not have formal education. Mechanics may or may not be educated though they are certainly trained. It isn’t the same thing.

You don’t need to feel guilty for thinking they are less educated you just need to feel guilty because you think less of them.