当大学教育不再促进阶层流动而是固化阶层，大学的宗旨是什么？“内在价值”与“交换价值”-AI Express News

1. What’s the Point of College Anyway?

上大学到底有什么意义？

College is often hailed as the "launchpad" for success, a sacred rite of passage where bright-eyed students trade their youthful optimism for the tools and credentials needed to conquer the world. But let’s be honest: the mythology of higher education as the golden key to prosperity and enlightenment is as inflated as a syllabus on the first day of class—ambitious, overwhelming, and rarely fulfilled. With all the fanfare surrounding college life, you’d think it was a magical portal to happiness and purpose. Spoiler: it’s not.
大学常被誉为成功的“起跳板”，是一场神圣的成人礼，充满憧憬的学生们用青春的热情换取所谓征服世界的工具和文凭。但坦白说，把高等教育神化成通往财富与启迪的“金钥匙”，就像新学期第一堂课的课程大纲一样，雄心勃勃，却往往难以兑现。听着关于大学生活的种种宣传，你或许会以为它是一扇通向幸福和意义的神奇大门。剧透一下：它不是。

Instead, what college often delivers is a series of contradictions: lofty promises of intellectual transformation paired with an unspoken acknowledgment that most of your peers are here to party, network, or ride the conveyor belt toward a respectable job. Let’s dig into this paradox with a bit of irony, some data, and a good dose of realism.
相反，大学通常带来的是一系列的矛盾：一方面是智识转变的崇高承诺，另一方面却默认你的大多数同龄人来这里是为了派对、社交，或者顺着传送带找到一份体面的工作。让我们用一点讽刺、一些数据和充足的现实主义来深入探讨这个悖论。

2. The Myth of Success
关于成功的迷思

The first big lie about college is that it determines your future success. Statistically, this is both true and misleading. Yes, attending an elite university correlates with higher income levels and professional prestige. According to studies, graduates from top-tier schools often end up in the top quartile of income distribution. But here’s the rub: this success has little to do with what you actually do in college.
关于大学的第一个大谎言是它决定了你的未来成功。从统计数据上看，这既正确又具有误导性。的确，就读名校确实与更高的收入水平和职业声望相关。研究表明，顶尖学校的毕业生往往跻身收入分配的前四分之一。但问题在于：这种成功与你在大学里实际做了什么关系不大。

Why? Because the factors that got you into a good school—your parental resources, personal talents, and previous achievements—are the same ones that will carry you through life. Admission itself is the real golden ticket. Employers see the brand name on your diploma and assume you’re competent, even if you spent four years majoring in Netflix and napping.
为什么？因为让你进入好学校的因素——家庭资源、个人才能和过往成就——同样会贯穿你的一生。录取本身就是“黄金入场券”。雇主看到你的文凭上的名校标志，就会假定你很能干，即使你大学四年主修的是刷剧和补觉。

Take the data: at an elite school I know very well, biology majors had a 40% chance of becoming doctors, but they also became writers, musicians, and consultants. Philosophy majors? Some went into law, some into tech, and at least one ended up farming. The connection between your major and your career is tenuous at best, and yet many students agonize over their choice of study as if it were a marriage proposal.

来看数据：在一所我熟知的美国名校，生物专业的学生有40%的机会成为医生，但他们也成了作家、音乐家和顾问。哲学专业的学生呢？有些成了律师，有些进入了科技行业，甚至还有人成了农民。你的专业和职业之间的联系充其量是微弱的，但许多学生却为选择专业而苦恼，仿佛这是一桩婚姻大事。

The takeaway? College doesn’t make you successful; it just sorts you into a club of people who were probably going to succeed anyway.
结论是什么？大学并不会让你成功；它只是把你归入那些本来就可能成功的人的圈子。

3. The Skill Delusion
技能的幻觉

Another cherished myth is that college is a crucible where raw intellect is forged into sharp, marketable skills. Critical thinking! Analytical reasoning! Lifelong learning! These buzzwords pepper university brochures, promising to equip students with the cognitive toolkit needed to thrive in an unpredictable world.
另一个广受推崇的迷思是，大学是将原始智力锤炼成尖端、可营销技能的熔炉。批判性思维！分析性推理！终身学习！这些流行词汇充斥着大学的宣传手册，承诺为学生配备在不可预测的世界中茁壮成长的认知工具箱。

But let’s examine this critically (you know, using those vaunted skills). Research shows that the actual cognitive growth students experience in college is modest. Most people forget the bulk of what they learn within five years, and the supposed "general skills" of critical thinking and problem-solving are hard to pin down as uniquely products of classroom instruction.
但让我们用批判性的眼光来审视一下（用那些被吹捧的技能）。研究表明，学生在大学中实际获得的认知增长是有限的。大多数人在五年内忘记了他们所学的大部分内容，而所谓的“批判性思维”和“问题解决”等“通用技能”很难被证明是课堂教学的独特产物。

Consider this thought experiment: if you skipped college and spent four years in intellectually stimulating internships or apprenticeships, would you be any less prepared for life? Probably not. College doesn’t have a monopoly on teaching you how to write clearly, think critically, or solve problems creatively. In fact, many of these skills come from lived experience, not lectures.
想象这样一个思维实验：如果你跳过大学，用四年时间从事富有智力刺激的实习或学徒工作，你会对生活准备得更少吗？可能不会。大学并不垄断教你如何清晰写作、批判性思考或创造性解决问题。事实上，这些技能中的许多来自生活经验，而非课堂讲座。

And let’s not forget the elephant in the room: most jobs don’t require these highfalutin skills anyway. If you’re a lawyer, much of your work will involve filling out forms and appeasing clients. If you’re in business, you’ll be reducing complex ideas into bullet points for PowerPoint slides. Critical thinking is great, but knowing when to keep your thoughts to yourself? Priceless.
还有一个显而易见的问题：大多数工作并不需要这些高大上的技能。如果你是律师，你的大部分工作是填写表格和安抚客户。如果你在商界，你会把复杂的想法简化成幻灯片上的要点。批判性思维很好，但知道何时闭嘴更是无价之宝。

4. Education as a Performance
教育作为一场表演

For many students, college isn’t about learning but about performing the role of a learner. You attend lectures, take notes, write essays—checking off boxes while hoping that the process magically transforms you into an “educated” person. But education isn’t a checklist; it’s a mindset.
对于许多学生来说，大学不是为了学习，而是为了扮演学习者的角色。你参加讲座、做笔记、写论文——逐项打勾，希望这个过程能神奇地将你变成一个“受过教育”的人。但教育不是一份清单；它是一种思维方式。

The real tragedy of higher education is that it often reduces intellectual exploration to a series of transactions: grades for effort, degrees for time served. This transactional mindset breeds cynicism. Students become adept at gaming the system—cramming for exams, regurgitating professors’ opinions—but rarely engage deeply with the material. The result? A generation of graduates who are superficially knowledgeable but intellectually disengaged.
高等教育的真正悲剧在于，它常常将智力探索简化为一系列交易：用努力换取分数，用时间换取学位。这种交易式的思维滋生了犬儒主义。学生变得善于钻制度的空子——临时抱佛脚，照搬教授的观点——但很少深入理解材料。结果呢？一代表面知识丰富但智识上疏离的毕业生。

‍5. So Why Bother?
那为什么还要上大学？

If college doesn’t guarantee success, doesn’t reliably build skills, and often fosters shallow learning, why go at all? The answer lies in redefining what education is supposed to be.
如果大学不能保证成功，不能可靠地培养技能，而且经常助长浅薄的学习，为什么还要上大学呢？答案在于重新定义教育应该是什么。

Education, at its best, isn’t about acquiring facts or skills—it’s about cultivating a habit of mind. It’s about learning to see the world in richer, more complex ways. An educated person doesn’t just memorize data; they interpret, question, and imagine. This isn’t something you achieve by completing a syllabus; it’s a way of being.
最好的教育不是获取事实或技能，而是培养一种思维习惯。它是学习以更丰富、更复杂的方式看待世界。受过教育的人不仅仅是记住数据；他们会解读、质疑和想象。这不是通过完成课程大纲就能实现的，而是一种存在方式。

Take art, for example. Looking at a painting in a museum is one thing. Understanding its historical context, its stylistic influences, and its cultural significance is another. Education adds depth and dimension to the experience, turning a simple glance into a profound encounter.
以艺术为例。在博物馆看一幅画是一回事。理解其历史背景、风格影响和文化意义是另一回事。教育为这种体验增加了深度和维度，将简单的一瞥转化为深刻的邂逅。

Or consider relationships. Anyone can stumble through a conversation or a romantic entanglement, but an educated person brings empathy, curiosity, and self-awareness to these interactions. They don’t just live—they reflect, adapt, and grow.
或者考虑人际关系。任何人都可能磕磕绊绊地进行对话或恋爱纠葛，但受过教育的人在这些互动中带来了同理心、好奇心和自我意识。他们不仅仅活着——他们会反思、适应和成长。

6. The Freedom to Seek
追求的自由

Ironically, the greatest value of college is also its greatest challenge: the freedom to seek education for its own sake. Unlike high school, where every step is dictated by external pressures, college offers a rare opportunity to explore without immediate consequences. But this freedom is a double-edged sword.
具有讽刺意味的是，大学最大的价值也是其最大的挑战：为教育本身而追求的自由。不同于每一步都被外部压力支配的高中，大学提供了一个罕见的机会，让你在没有直接后果的情况下探索。但这种自由是一把双刃剑。

Many students squander it, chasing grades, social validation, or the illusion of productivity. The truly educated student, however, embraces the randomness and risk of intellectual exploration. They take classes that challenge their assumptions, engage in debates that make them uncomfortable, and pursue ideas that don’t fit neatly into a career plan.
许多学生浪费了这种自由，追逐成绩、社会认可或虚假的生产力。然而，真正受过教育的学生会拥抱智力探索的随机性和风险。他们选修挑战自己认知假设的课程，参与让他们感到不适的辩论，追求不完全符合职业规划的想法。

This kind of education isn’t easy. It requires courage, curiosity, and a willingness to fail. But it is the only kind of education that truly matters.
这种教育并不容易。它需要勇气、好奇心和接受失败的意愿。但这是唯一真正重要的教育。

7. The Aimlessness of Education
教育的无目的性

Paradoxically, the aim of education is to have no aim. It is not a tool to achieve something else but a way of expanding your experience of the world. College isn’t about preparing for the future; it’s about living fully in the present—about becoming the kind of person who can find meaning and purpose wherever they go.
矛盾的是，教育的目的在于没有特定的目的。它不是实现其他目标的工具，而是扩展你对世界体验的一种方式。大学不是为了准备未来；而是为了在当下充分生活——成为那种无论走到哪里都能找到意义和目标的人。

So here’s the real question: What will you do with this freedom? Will you treat college as a checklist, a stepping stone, or a grand experiment in becoming more fully human? The choice is yours. But remember, the greatest tragedy is not to fail at education—it’s to never truly seek it at all.
所以真正的问题是：你将如何利用这份自由？你会把大学当作一份清单、一个垫脚石，还是一次让自己更完整的人生试验？选择权在你手中。但请记住，最大的悲剧不是在教育上失败，而是从未真正去追求它。

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