Two shocking observations: 1950s children knew enough about the obscure Barbary Wars to buy toy soldier sets of them, while TWO-THIRDS of today's 10-year-olds are functionally illiterate. College professors confirm each new class is increasingly anxious, less knowledgeable, and less skilled than before. This episode examines why American education has become so expensive, biased, ineffective and universally disliked—revealing surprising connections to history, anthropology, and Game Theory.--NetSuite: More than 41,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, the #1 cloud financial system bringing accounting, financial management, inventory, HR, into ONE proven platform. Download the CFO's Guide to AI and Machine learning: https://netsuite.com/102Shopify: Shopify powers millions of businesses worldwide, handling 10% of U.S. e-commerce. With hundreds of templates, AI tools for product descriptions, and seamless marketing campaign creation, it's like having a design studio and marketing team in one. Start your $1/month trial today at https://shopify.com/cognitiveSPONSORS:Click this link to make some cash for giving your opinion! https://www.inflcr.co/SHJrB Thanks YouGov for sponsoring!--Bibliography:Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil PostmanThe Lonely Crowd by David RiesmanSeeing like a State by James C Scott The Geography of Nowhere by KunstlerGibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman EmpireThe History of Civilization by Will DurantAlbion's Seed by David Hackett FischerThe Ascent of Humanity by Charles EisensteinSpiteful Mutants by Edward DuttonWitches, Feminism and the Fall of the West by Edward DuttonThe Moral Animal by Robert WrightBullfinch's MythologyNorth and South by Elizabeth GaskellThe Coming Caesars by Amaury de RiencourtThe Hunter Gatherer's Guide to the 21st century by Heather Heying and Bret WeinsteinEnvy by Helmut SchoeckThe History of Manners by Norbert EliasThe Unabomber's ManifestoThe Demon Haunted World by Carl SaganThe Pursuit of Power by William McNeilForagers, Farmers and Fossil Fuel by Ian MorrisCynical Theories by James LindsayAfter Liberalism by GottfriedWoke Racism by John McWhorterA Conflict of Visions by Thomas SowellIntellectuals and Society by Thomas SowellThe Master and His Emissary by McGhilchristTragedy and Hope by Carroll QuigleyThe Rise of the West by William McNeilAges of Discord by Peter TurchinThe Coddling of the American Mind by John HaidtStolen Focus by Johann Hari