Quote:
"Uh, it seems to me that the major difference is quite obvious - and in fact is consonant with the libertarian philosophy that you yourself espoused. Specifically, you don't have to take AP Calculus if you want to end up as a college English major, even at a prestige college. I agree with you that many do, but you don't have to. Similarly, the future scientist doesn't have to take AP history or English. It's free choice. "
Well, then, how about this? Perhaps "elite" institutions should start granting AP credit in the humanities. Problem solved.
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Zahavi's handicap principle applies to AP Calculus w.r.t the Humanities, but not to Humanities w.r.t. math. The reason is that not everyone in the Humanities can do AP Calculus, but most people in math can do Humanities. A variant of Zahavi's handicap principle has been discussed earlier in this thread (how a degree is a useful signal of a person's ability, even if that the person learns little information in the university that actually turns out useful in his career). I don't think a lot of Humanities majors really appreciate having to go through calculus (though a few might), seeing that they have an alternative option to take a course in logic once they enter college.