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| Will Randolph ('22) |
What is the point of a college education? This is a question that I have unceasingly asked myself over the past year, and after spending almost all of that time studying the meaning of a liberal education with the McConnell Center, I have been driven to find an answer. Some people suggest that college is supposed to serve as a kind of job training. The entire purpose, they say, is to prepare oneself for a successful career, and almost anything else serves as a distraction from that mission. I would disagree with that notion. College is not simply meant to be a 4-year career training center. I do not mean to say that job training is invaluable, or an unworthy thing to pursue. For many people, it is the key to a happy and successful life. Preparing oneself to get a job in the future is certainly an important part of higher schooling, but a college education means much more than seeking success.
What then, is the true purpose of going to college? As I see it, one should ask themselves two big questions. I’ll call them the questions worth asking. First, what is human nature and how should government address it? Two, what does it mean to live a morally good life? These are the questions that I try to answer (almost) everyday of my college career. I say almost because not everyday can be spent thinking about the two grandest propositions in one’s head. Sometimes, a good break is needed. Nevertheless, those two inquiries are constantly occupying my thoughts. But why these questions? What importance does the truth of human nature or the meaning of moral goodness have to our daily lives? I would say quite a lot.
Regarding the first question, one’s view of human nature has a pretty large impact on how they live their life, treat other people, and generally interact with the world. A negative view of human nature, where humans are naturally bad or evil creatures, makes one very apprehensive about the “good intentions” of other people. On the other hand, a positive view of human nature where mankind is inherently good makes one optimistic that people will do good unto others. The reason why I mentioned government in the second half of this question is because these different interpretations of human nature have a huge impact on how society is structured. The negative view tends to result in a stronger, more centralized government. After all, if humans are bad they will need something to control their lesser instincts. Government fills that role. The positive view usually results in a smaller, less active government. If mankind is good, they don’t need much to keep them in line, and government may just get in the way. Think about how these two parts of the question work in our society today, and you’ll realize how important of a question it is to ask and answer.
The second question is more focused on the individual. Living a moral life is something that principally impacts oneself, and not society at large. I don’t have much to say about why this is an important question to ask, other than it really does determine how one behaves throughout their entire life. Most people want to live a moral life, the hard part is figuring out what exactly moral means. Out of the two, I think this is the harder question to ask, but I think it’s difficulty is reflective of its importance. Because it deals mostly with the self, it has a greater impact on one’s life.
I will say, it is not my intention to sound arrogant or absolutely instructive when I say these questions should make up a college education. Like I said earlier, training for a successful future is a very important part of college, and some people do not have the luxury to spend time thinking about these things. And perhaps for others the questions they ask themselves are different. Regardless, a college education should be spent trying to answer some of the biggest questions you can put to your mind. Thinking about humanity, morality, and society seem like good questions to ask.
Will Randolph, of Franklin, Ky., is first-year McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville where he plans to study Spanish and political science.