Re:How's your high school Greek? (Score 1)

Wow. I agree with almost all of your assessment of 18th-19th c. education. (Just to be contrary, I'd like to point out that an awareness of art history is also a relatively new phenomenon. In particular, Bach and other dead composers' works were only very rarely performed before the advent of recording, and photography has made familiarity with a large body of visual work much more practical.)

But in terms of familiarity with literature and clarity of writing the intelligentsia of today are pretty pathetic. I have no doubt that the average 19th century American with an 8th grade education could write much more clearly than the average American college graduate of today. I know that my writing is better than most, and it still sucks real bad.

Furthermore, although our technical knowledge is much more advanced, thinking and writing clearly are still by far the most important skills for any information worker. The best scientists are not only expert in their field -- they are also communicate effectively and think precisely.