Date Written: 9/26/2022
Assignment: Write 250 words on this proposition: “Online education is bad for society because it puts classroom teachers out of work.”
For your Information I will be approaching this question from a economic standpoint.
When considering if online education is bad for society because it puts classroom teachers out of work we must look at two things: that which is seen and that which is not seen. The standard analysis of this topic would only consider that which is seen. That is when students learn from a teacher in a classroom someone has to pay for it. This payment can be in the form of taxes, tuition, etc. This spending of money then stimulates commerce which is a good thing. Looking at online schooling there is a lot fewer teachers needed to reach a large audience. Therefore less teachers are needed so, less money is spent to pay those teachers as a whole. Since less money is spent commerce isn’t stimulated as much. This is the standard argument only considering that which is seen.
If we consider that which is not seen the argument begins to change. It has already been determined that online schooling is less expensive than in person schooling. Therefore the price of the online schooling will go down. This will save the family money when sending their children to school. The family can then go spend this money on something else that they want, again stimulating commerce. This will also benefit that third party that the family payed. That wouldn’t have been possible if the family didn’t save that extra money.
In the end if we consider that which is seen and that which is not see we can see the true answer to this argument. In the first case, considering only that which is seen, there is one winner and two losers. The classroom teachers win and the family and the third party producer lose. The family loses because they never got the other thing they wanted. The third party producer loses because they never received the family’s money. In the second case, considering both, there is two winners and one loser. The family and the third party producer win and the classroom teachers lose. The family wins because they got the other thing they wanted. The third party producer wins because they received the family’s money. In this scenario there is a net gain for society. There is two winners and one loser. That is why online education is a good thing for society as a whole.
For more information on the idea of that which is seen and that which is not seen please see Frédéric Bastiat’s essay here.
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