Rubio's narrow view of education value

In the recent Republican debate, Marco Rubio was wrong to say that welders make more money than those who majored in philosophy. More importantly, though, he was apparently oblivious to the true value of studying philosophy and indeed in pursuing a liberal arts education.

The ultimate goal of an education should not be narrow vocational training but ought to be cultivating enlightened citizens of good character, with the right values, strong communication abilities and critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

These attributes are the life blood of an efficient and prosperous economy and, even more important, of a robust and functioning representative democracy.

As the famed Australian ethicist Peter Singer said, if individuals seek to maximize personal gain with little regard to ethics, ultimately we all will end up losers.

Lanlan Hoo

Wheaton