I believe that, for a particular individual to be considered thoroughly educated, he or she must be capable of:
Applying theoretical knowledge in practice – Many formally educated people lack the ability to derive ‘down-to-earth’ benefits from their otherwise extensive theoretical knowledge. For example, as method indicates, only a few of so-called ‘young urban professionals’ (yuppies) prove capable of effectively addressing even such basic life’s challenges as replacing a flat tire on the car. This is why, despite holding highly paid jobs, these people cannot be thought of as being educated, in a full sense of this word.
Critically assessing the emanations of a surrounding reality – Truly educated people can never think of a variety of currently prevailing socio-political concepts/dogmas (e.g., political correctness) as such that represent an undeniable truth-value. This is why educated people are strongly disliked by those individuals who make a living out of subjecting masses to different forms of psychological manipulation.
Adopting a non-religious stance, while assessing the significance of ‘spiritual’ matters – Nowadays, it is only utterly ignorant or deliberately malicious individuals, who may claim themselves being simultaneously educated and religious. The reason for this is simple – the world’s religions have long ago been proven as nothing but sublimations of people’s animalistic anxieties (such as the anxiety to extend their existence into eternity). Therefore, the stronger a particular individual appears to be affiliated with either of the world’s religions. The lesser are the chances for him or her to be considered truly educated.
Acting on behalf civilization, within the context of culture vs. barbarianism – Truly educated individuals are aware of a simple fact that it is namely due to a continuous scientific, cultural and social progress, closely associated with Western civilization, that the exponential improvement of people’s living standards has been made possible, in the first place. Therefore, those Western ‘intellectuals’ who, despite possessing a formal education, popularize the idea that Western countries may only benefit from welcoming the hordes of legal and illegal immigrants from the Third World, and consequently incorporating these people’s anti-scientific ‘spirituality’ as an integral part of policy-making process, should be stripped of their university diplomas.
Exploring its sense of inquisitiveness as such that has a value of ‘thing in itself’ – Truly educated individuals are naturally predisposed to derive pleasure from indulging in intellectual pursuits. This is why the prospect of material enrichment alone may never serve them as a stable enough ‘existential incentive’.
Understanding the social implications of cause-effect dialectics – Truly educated people follow that, given the fact that human societies are necessarily material (they consist of people, endowed with material bodies), these societies’ functioning is being entirely subjected to the objective laws of nature. Therefore, under no circumstances may educated individuals share the idea that the representatives of Homo Sapiens species are any different from plants or animals, in regards to the way their existence reflects the universe’s overall workings.
Addressing life’s challenges in an intellectually honest manner – Truly educated people are being endowed with the sense of intellectual integrity. In its turn, this allows them to choose in favor of a proper way of tackling a particular personal or societal problem. This is precisely the reason why these are specifically the educated individuals of high social prominence, who have traditionally been considered the society’s natural benefactors.