You can choose which subjects to study in university, or even whether to spend time to get a degree. So it's optional. And these days, university departments that don't actually do something gets its funding slashed, so in that sense market forces are working well.
It's a different story for education up to high school. School is pretty much mandatory these days, and basically everyone has to go through it. It's a worthy question to ask why learn X instead of Y, if X has little real application? Why glorify those who can do maths well, as opposed to those who can best remember the names of Pokemon? Or those who can play LoL the best?
Who defines which areas of knowledge counts as "education", and which areas are frivolous trivia?
In the case of maths, the mere fact that it has tonnes of applications in many technical subjects is sufficient justification for me, but if you reject that line of reasoning, I'm not sure you can convince me (or anyone with critical thinking) that it's more worthy to pursue knowledge in maths than knowledge in "Pokemon studies".
It's a different story for education up to high school. School is pretty much mandatory these days, and basically everyone has to go through it. It's a worthy question to ask why learn X instead of Y, if X has little real application? Why glorify those who can do maths well, as opposed to those who can best remember the names of Pokemon? Or those who can play LoL the best?
Who defines which areas of knowledge counts as "education", and which areas are frivolous trivia?
In the case of maths, the mere fact that it has tonnes of applications in many technical subjects is sufficient justification for me, but if you reject that line of reasoning, I'm not sure you can convince me (or anyone with critical thinking) that it's more worthy to pursue knowledge in maths than knowledge in "Pokemon studies".