Famous quote by Thorstein Veblen

"In point of substantial merit the law school belongs in the modern university no more than a school of fencing or dancing"

About this Quote

Thorstein Veblen's quote, "In point of substantial merit the law school belongs in the modern university no greater than a school of fencing or dancing", offers an intriguing review of the role and value of expert schools, especially law schools, within the wider context of a university's academic mission. Veblen, understood for his critical assessment of economic and social institutions, appears to challenge the prioritization of vocational training over a wider, more liberally-inclined instructional values.

On one level, Veblen's comparison of law schools to schools of fencing or dancing highlights what he perceives as the practical focus of expert education. By likening law schools to institutions teaching physical abilities and art types, which were frequently thought about less academically extensive or intellectually substantive within the standard university setting, Veblen questions the intellectual merits of professional legal education. His statement may suggest that the focus on immediate occupation applicability within law schools detracts from the suitable of a university as an area for establishing crucial thinking, intellectual expedition, and the pursuit of understanding for its own sake.

Furthermore, Veblen's review speaks to the tension in between employment training and traditional academic inquiry. He implies that professional schools emphasize the useful application of knowledge, potentially at the expense of nurturing a person's capability for reflective and vital thought. The "substantial benefit" he refers to suggests a belief that universities must prioritize intellectual development and the growing of an academic mindset instead of focusing predominantly on preparing trainees for particular careers.

In the more comprehensive context of his work, Veblen typically criticized the commercialization and corporatization of educational institutions. For that reason, this quote might likewise be seen as a care against the pattern of universities becoming too aligned with market-driven motives and losing sight of their original mission to establish and send understanding. Veblen's assertion invites reflection on the balance that modern-day universities require to strike in between trade training and cultivating a broad, crucial, and inclusive intellectual engagement.

More details

TagsSchoolUniversity

About the Author

USA Flag This quote is from Thorstein Veblen between July 30, 1857 and August 3, 1929. He/she was a famous Economist from USA. The author also have 12 other quotes.
See more from Thorstein Veblen

Similar Quotes

Constance Baker Motley, Activist
Shortlist

No items yet. Click "Add" on a Quote.