Hello peace loving Skunks,
I have been following this thread and thought I could contribute something to it.
My opinion is that both @Dennis and @Wash are right, its only that they are not looking at things in not quite the same fashion. The thing is that there is a huge difference between being educated and literate. What Dennis is pointing at _is_ in fact literacy and Washington is strongly in support of an education. From what I understand, an education is what someone remains with after "forgetting" everything you were taught in school, like most of us now. What you are taught in school especially in the early days actually forms a big part of someone's literacy. Being learned is a different concept altogether.
What Dennis is referring to as cleverness actually has little in relation to what you learn from your teachers and has more to do with creativity and innate aptitude / ability. Those are things that you can do without being taught which you can see as native intelligence. This could imply that in a way, what you go to do in a University may have low to zero direct impact on your performance in your official duties at work. This is where I see a split in opinions between what Wash is saying and Dennis' main premise.
Lastly, in some countries especially in the developed world it is almost mandatory that members of the disciplined forces have a degree from a University at a bare minimum. In Canada being a member of the police force is actually more prestigious than being a qualified medical doctor. In such places you have policemen and women who make an effort to find out where you live in case you are staggering home in the dark trying to discover where you live late at night ........ ;-)
Martin.