[RedMonqey]

I would rather be stuck in the Outback with an illiterate Aborigine than with a Doctor of Philosophy from Finland. Something tells me I?d eat more often and stay alive longer with the former than with the latter.

But can the same illiterate Aborigine be put into a modern university and learn calculus, French literature etc. in the same time span as an university student takes to learn to survive in the outback?

[DieHard the Hunter]

> But can the same illiterate Aborigine be put into a modern university and learn calculus, French literature etc. in the same time span as an university student takes to learn to survive in the outback?

I suspect it would take the university student longer than 3 days to learn how to survive in the Outback: it is a hostile and inhospitable environment, and after 3 days left to his/her own devices s/he would probably be dead. French literature and the calculus would be of no use, unfortunately.

[Travis McGee]

But can the same illiterate Aborigine be put into a modern university and learn calculus, French literature etc. in the same time span as a university student takes to learn to survive in the outback?

Great illustrative question. Obviously not.

[eyedigress]

Hmmmm? Are the university students from the same time frame?
That sounds mighty elitist. (If you go back in time you could probably teach Galileo a thing or two).

[editor-surveyor]

"can the same illiterate Aborigine be put into a modern university and learn calculus, French literature etc. in the same time span as an university student takes to learn to survive in the outback?"

I would venture a guess that the average university student will die long before he has learned 20% of the skills that he would need to have survived. The average Abo, on the other hand, could likely learn the necessary math and literary skills soon enough to keep from being flunked out. (just my guess, based on the university grads that I have had to train for the job after hireing them.)

[driftdiver]

“But can the same illiterate Aborigine be put into a modern university and learn calculus, French literature etc. in the same time span as an university student takes to learn to survive in the outback?”

The university student would probably die within a week so the aborigine would probably learn the modern stuff before the student learned to survive. Tough to learn when your body is decaying.