Quote (bogie160 @ Jul 4 2012 06:28pm)
PhDs are incredibly limiting for what they're worth, unless you want to teach English Literature there are precious few reasons to obtain a PhD in it. If you'd like to make money in engineering, you certainly aren't required (or advised) to get a PhD in it.
What have the most marketability? Economists are pretty high on the list, and I don't think it's a surprise that they show a mild preference for the right.
And you still haven't qualified what you mean by "educated". Educated in English literature? Why do we care when we're discussing issues of national importance? Got a PhD in Classical Archaeology? How does this make them educated when it comes to the national economy?
The educational system by and large, from preschools to universities, appeals to left-leaning individuals, it's not saying much to point out that they've acquired a majority.
You have to understand that I agree with what you're saying...making distinctions between different disciplines and that phds are often not worthwhile from a market perspective...unless you're an english, psych, sociology, philosophy, etc major.
However, I'm making a very generalized point...a blanket statement, if you will. The most highly educated people, phd holders, in our society are generally left leaning. I'm implying a correlation between advanced minds and leftist bias. I'm not saying that these people are the most qualified to make market or political decisions, merely the fact that leftist thinking is associated with very highly educated people.
Don't get me wrong, it's a very generalized statement, but I think that there is some truth to it.
Perhaps you're right, the disciplines that are more aligned and immersed in politics and market principles are right leaning because they understand such realm, and those who do not perfectly understand such subjects, such as an english phd holder, tend to be left leaning because "they don't know any better". But then again, you could say the exact same thing if they were predominantly right leaning.