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The Neoliberal Arts: A Theoretical Analysis

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William Dersiewicz, author of “The Neoliberal Arts” contends that making arguments is a paramount skill in education. Deresiewicz disapproves of the idea that education is merely a step in the staircase of life, where the goal is to learn enough to attain a career as opposed to learning for the sake of learning. Neoliberal education molds students whose only reason for learning is to move up a corporate ladder so they can become the next aristocrats. This is emphasized by the fact that students mainly pursue careers in STEM or vocational fields. According to him, “When you study the liberal arts… what you’re learning to do is make arguments” (Dersiewicz). The ability to develop arguments is so crucial to him not because it’s a skill that is
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