Two lucky classes got to have former Vice President Al Gore speak to them about the future of American politics via Skype on Tuesday. Gore admitted that no one knows exactly what the future will bring, but it sounds like smart students can speculate and adapt accordingly.
The range of topics he discussed included thoughts on the ever-increasing connectivity of today’s economy and the growing power of the global marketplace. Similarly, the Internet has ushered in the era of the “global mind” and how our generation is more connected than any before us.
But the connectivity has a drawback. As Gore outlined, companies are using our Internet browsing data to better identify our likes and tendencies, which can be sold to other companies for marketing and sales purposes. Furthermore, these companies and the National Security Agency alike collect more data than many are willing to tolerate.
The current technologically oriented landscape has placed an incredible emphasis on relevant majors, which poses a concern for students pursuing a liberal arts education. Thankfully, one question posed regarding this shift in emphasis elicited a response from Gore that we should all take to heart.
In response to the future of U.S. education and how current students can better prepare for the world today’s students will adopt as working adults, particularly for those pursuing the liberal arts, Gore advised them to stay the course.
While tech-oriented majors are in high demand now, the looming threat of outsourcing and robosourcing means that many of the jobs students seek today will be long gone in the future. When robots revolutionize the production process, Gore said the focus would move to public goods, where students with a liberal arts education can flourish.
While USC and the rest of higher education in the U.S. focus their attention and resources on science and technology, they’d be well advised not to lose sight of the original values that colleges pushed: the liberal arts.