I started writing The Case Against Education in 2011.  I’m still not done, but I’m shooting for release in 2017.  What’s taking so long?

Almost the opposite of writer’s block.  The book is taking a long time because I’ve repeatedly realized I needed more space to do justice to the richness of the topic.  Economists, psychologists, sociologists, and education researchers have written libraries on education, and I take my time digesting their contributions.  As a result, the book has turned into an “accordion project”: When I start writing a chapter, I realize what I have to say requires more than a chapter. 

The current organization:


Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1: The Magic of Education

Chapter 2: The Puzzle Is Real: The
Ubiquity of Useless Education

Chapter 3: The Puzzle Is Real: The
Handsome Rewards of Useless Education

Chapter 4: The Signs of Signaling:
In Case You’re Still Not Convinced

Chapter 5: Who Cares If It’s
Signaling?  The Selfish Return to
Education

Chapter 6: We Care If It’s
Signaling: The Social Return to Education

Chapter 7: Nourishing Mother: Is
Education Good for the Soul?

Chapter 8: The White Elephant in
the Room: We Need Far Less Education

Chapter 9: 1>0: We Need More
Vocational Education

Chapter 10: Four Chats on Human
Capital, Signaling, and Life Well-Lived

Conclusion


Chapters 5 and 6 were originally supposed to be a single chapter.  Now I’ve spent 16 months writing them.  Still, I have no complaints.  The Case Against Education will be the most research-intensive book I’ll ever write, and I have the good fortune to be able to toil until I’m pleased with the quality of the work.