The current American education system is in peril. If we can overcome or eliminate the industrialized mentality on which the education system has been built since the 19th century, we can once again realize the true nature of education: the acquisition of knowledge and skills necessary for our good -being and that of our society. As it stands, the method of education is part of a hierarchical system, where the subjects most useful to the job and those that will yield the most wealth are favored over everything else. President Obama's latest call for education reform included a call for increased funding for math and science. Certainly, this will provide our country with the skills needed to be more internationally competitive in an increasingly technology-driven world. However, this call lacks the emphasis on cultivating critical thinking that is only found in the humanities. The academic disciplines of philosophy, literature, history and the arts, which for centuries have been key to the progression of our civilization, become simply complementary to the insular approach to the expansion of capital. This is particularly troubling because what we are taught is inevitably what we will become. The ongoing problem is that our industrial society continues to marginalize the education system, with an emphasis not on intellectual growth, individual thought, or intellectual stimulation, but on quantifiable results. A mold has been created in which an individual's educational “success” is measured not by acquired knowledge but by calculable results. Without social studies, students simply learn to perform tasks instead of analyze; ask how and never ask why. The American education system...... middle of paper ......t. The balance between personal and civic, between private gratification and public duty has been distorted in our education system and must be restored. The intellectual currency offered by education should enable more than the ability to function as part of a larger process and instead enable us to think critically, actively create, and pursue our individual happiness. Although distinct in its individuality, happiness is a personal endeavor that must align with the true nature of education, enabling a person to become a unique part of society, not simply a manifestation of it. Works Cited* Slouka, Mark. “www.harpers.org”. Harper's Magazine. 27 December 2009.* Stevenson, J. (2005) The centrality of vocational education and training'. In Journal of Vocational Education and Training, 57/3, pp.. 335-354.