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I have a Bachelor’s degree in History from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida. Joshua has written three other books, including Education Mania. The current book Education Mania has been previously published. Like his other books, he used many sources for Education Mania, including the Internet, books, and TV. All his books are written in APA style.
Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite
Education Mania: Is a University the New Doctor by Joshua Flapan is an analysis of the problematic belief that college is the only path to success and explores its actual value. Flapan questions student loan debt and its impact on graduates seeking employment, and parallels it with speculative bubbles. He emphasizes colleges' historical significance in driving innovations and producing leaders for public service and scientific breakthroughs, and how the system has now become diluted. Flapan advocates for alternatives like apprenticeships and a “college of nothing” system based on an individual's specific needs. He raises a red flag on the push for universal college education and its true consequences on societal well-being and equality. Ultimately, Flapan argues that the push for higher education has shifted universities' goals and hopes for a future where we learn from past failures, striving for a balanced and practical approach to education and work.
Joshua Flapan has written a comprehensive and exhaustively researched assessment of the current state of higher education in Education Mania. I struggled before opening the book to figure out what the overall message was but found my rhythm once I started reading and having it broken down by part, and the introduction and conclusions made it wholly approachable. The most interesting part for me was the historical role of universities and Flapan's acute understanding that the purpose was for scholars and advancement and not simple personal fulfillment and a lifetime of nothing that contributes to society as a whole. We do need to remember that the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker were apprentices first. Not everyone will agree with Flapan but, as with all ideas, in order to advance we must first digest them and Flapan certainly lays the groundwork for insightful dialogue and thought. Recommended.
