VeltzMeshugene: “[Y]ou can’t know that without having the foggiest idea what it is that you don’t know.”
Yes you can. By hearing it from someone who does know.
“It teaches them to be slackers” – Any empirical evidence to provide an informed basis to that undefined generality?
1. No, you still can’t, because you have no idea what the person is basing his claims on. Furthermore, it’s pretty obvious that one person’s opinion of the general usefulness of a subject is not indicative of its usefulness to other people. Every day in colleges worldwide, there are people studying math who think it’s a waste of time because they are going to become psychologists. But the people who appreciate math will never find that out if they never try it.
2. I have not done a study, and I am sorry if my post gave the impression that I had. However, it is reasonable to imagine that encouragement of apathy toward secular studies would have at least some effect on engagement with other pursuits. Anecdotally, I feel that it affected me that way strongly, and my social circle to an uncertain extent.