How Education Must Change

Abstract

The current educational system is designed to produce Thinking Economy workers. That has not always been true, and it will soon not be true again. The Physical Economy emphasized very different skills. When the Physical Economy was superseded by the Thinking Economy, the educational system was forced to adapt. A similar adaptation is required today, as the Feeling Economy begins to overtake the Thinking Economy. Skills that are highly prized today may soon be worth much less, which suggests the need for a revolution in education. In the Feeling Economy, the most prized skills are likely to be empathy, emotional intelligence, communication, and interpersonal relationships. This will require a different kind of education. Many of today’s Thinking Economy workers will be faced with a massive dislocation, as the skills they need to compete change to Feeling Economy skills. This suggests a heightened need for retraining and continuing education.