Trivium 21c

I have a prediction:

In the future there will be no experts.

There will be teachers and there will be schools. The institution of the school and the passing on of knowledge and skills will be valued even more than they are today because the telling of stories, making connections in a world where so much information will be contradictory where confusion and discord might reign supreme will be the most important of functions, it will be the ‘Queen of Arts’. This is why there will be a need for thoughtful storytellers and these storytellers will be our philosopher ‘kings and queens’. The power of our stories to make a sense or a non-sense or a number of senses of our world has always been an intrinsic part of our culture and it will grow, dearly beloved, just so.  And there will be nothing better than the live performance of a teacher in a space telling these stories, sharing knowledge and ideas with a community of learners.

So when the WISE experts say there will be: “No more ‘teachers’, lectures or imposed curricula. Henceforth, the brick-and-mortar school will no longer be a place where students are taught theoretical knowledge, but instead a social environment where they receive guidance, enabling them to interact with their peers and build a diverse toolkit that will better prepare them for professional life.” I say they are as mistaken as the person who thought recorded music would drive away live performance. In the future there will be teachers, lectures and imposed curricula. Students will be taught theoretical knowledge and the social environment will also be there too. As for preparing them for their professional life I hope that will just be a small part, a great education should prepare you for your whole life. Education is not about sticking noses to grindstones.

What is the point of experts if their expertise is pointed towards making predictions that enfeeble education?

For this reason the future will not need these sorts of experts.