less educators produce less educated, that's absolutely how it works.

the incentives, the logistics and finances of how we get to a point like that -- well that's where it gets muddier.

It's possible to devote too much time and energy to education, i.e. diminishing returns.

Academia is, in essence, a multi-level marketing scheme that produces more of itself, and will (if given unlimited resources from other areas of society) expand until it takes all resources simply replicating more of itself.

Many poor countries have enormously bloated education sectors.

The worry is that by better funding educators we might have to make do with less administrators, which could leave students less administrated.

No it isn’t. You’re implying education = higher standard of living, more jobs. It doesn’t.

One man can make a video lesson and teach millions, so more educators doesn’t mean more educated.

You can change the teacher:student ratio and still improve the number of educated. If you think this is false, then anything beyond 1:1 tutors is bad. Yet UCLA doesn’t operate on 1:1 ratios.

Finally, what makes you think there will be less educators? Very likely UCLA can rely on the rich and nerdy people who are willing to subsidize their own careers. This already happens in many fields.

Really finally, this is a shit practice. I’d like to see an audit of where the money goes such that the most student focused educators become last in line to get paid.

> You can change the teacher:student ratio and still improve the number of educated. If you think this is false, then anything beyond 1:1 tutors is bad.

Anything beyond it isn't bad, per se, but it is less optional.

> You can change the teacher:student ratio and still improve the number of educated. If you think this is false, then anything beyond 1:1 tutors is bad.

A here does not imply B. If it did then the natural conclusion is that the world only needs one singular educator.

In reality there's a sliding scale where more students to a given educator results in lower quality education, but a greater number of educated. The art is balancing these concerns.

It is if you want to continue educating new physicists.

'How the world works' is not set in stone. The current dysfunction of the academic system in the US (the world?) wasn't always this bad. We can educate the next generation, make scientific advancements, and not have professors starve on the street to make that happen.

it’s definitely not how the US works, but it should be.