Please assess my academic essay please!
Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2016 11:23 am
“Is it better to know a little about many subjects than to know a lot about one subject?”
Subject Mastery in contrast to Superficial Knowledge
Manguel (2004) argues that the quest for knowledge is as old as the human race. Similarly, the Bible gives early accounts of a society in Babel that sought to create a tower reaching the heavens, which were assumed as the ultimate source of understanding (Genesis 11:1-9, NIV). During these early periods of human civilization, knowledge could mainly be acquired from manuscripts and oral teaching; in contrast, the twenty first century has an array of channels that can be used for information transference. This diversity of learning platforms creates the possibility that an individual can know tidbits of facts about different subjects. In my opinion, this possession of little knowledge on various disciplines is less preferable than being an expert in a single area of study.
The internet and digital revolutions eased access to information, and thus, information on almost every subject is available on public search engines (Manguel, 2004). Subsequently, a majority of the current generation is knowledgeable in an array of subjects (Arum & Roksa, 2016). This attribute, however, only creates a façade of learning, as the information possessed is superficial and cannot be applied to solve complex problems in any field. Furtherance, employers seek to hire experts to tackle problems that cannot be solved using general knowledge.
The desire to know a lot about a single subject results in specialization, which creates comparative advantage and greater economic efficiency. The natural path of learning should start from the general and narrow-down to specifics; this is evident in academic studies where after a Bachelor’s degree, a student advances his or her knowledge by gaining a Master’s in a less-generalized discipline. Superficial knowledge in varying disciplines can only be advantageous when having casual conversations.
Cited:
Arum, R. & Roksa, J. (2016). Improving Quality in American Higher Education: Learning Outcomes and Assessments for the 21st Century. New Jersey: Jossey-Bass
Manguel, A. (2004). The Pursuit of Knowledge, From Genesis to Google. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/19/weeki ... .html?_r=0
Resources:
http://www.hemingwayapp.com/
http://acewriters.org/edit-my-essay.html
Subject Mastery in contrast to Superficial Knowledge
Manguel (2004) argues that the quest for knowledge is as old as the human race. Similarly, the Bible gives early accounts of a society in Babel that sought to create a tower reaching the heavens, which were assumed as the ultimate source of understanding (Genesis 11:1-9, NIV). During these early periods of human civilization, knowledge could mainly be acquired from manuscripts and oral teaching; in contrast, the twenty first century has an array of channels that can be used for information transference. This diversity of learning platforms creates the possibility that an individual can know tidbits of facts about different subjects. In my opinion, this possession of little knowledge on various disciplines is less preferable than being an expert in a single area of study.
The internet and digital revolutions eased access to information, and thus, information on almost every subject is available on public search engines (Manguel, 2004). Subsequently, a majority of the current generation is knowledgeable in an array of subjects (Arum & Roksa, 2016). This attribute, however, only creates a façade of learning, as the information possessed is superficial and cannot be applied to solve complex problems in any field. Furtherance, employers seek to hire experts to tackle problems that cannot be solved using general knowledge.
The desire to know a lot about a single subject results in specialization, which creates comparative advantage and greater economic efficiency. The natural path of learning should start from the general and narrow-down to specifics; this is evident in academic studies where after a Bachelor’s degree, a student advances his or her knowledge by gaining a Master’s in a less-generalized discipline. Superficial knowledge in varying disciplines can only be advantageous when having casual conversations.
Cited:
Arum, R. & Roksa, J. (2016). Improving Quality in American Higher Education: Learning Outcomes and Assessments for the 21st Century. New Jersey: Jossey-Bass
Manguel, A. (2004). The Pursuit of Knowledge, From Genesis to Google. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/19/weeki ... .html?_r=0
Resources:
http://www.hemingwayapp.com/
http://acewriters.org/edit-my-essay.html