ABSTRACT
Introduction Education is one of the cornerstones of human civilization. It was only in the last century that it was recognized as a social, rather than personal, concern, as something that brings critical benefits for the whole of society and humanity at large, above and beyond individuals. Indeed, it was only at the beginning of the twentieth century that free time and some money for making use of it emerged in some economically advanced countries as a societal phenomenon rather than a privilege of “the idle classes,” giving birth to “the revolt of the masses” (Ortega y Gassett, 1929). Now education is one of the main domains of public policy in most countries. At the individual level education has always been recognized as one of the main paths to social success; however, if in the past it has been a privilege for the few and the object of envy for many, now it is a sine qua non condition for a decent social position in many technologically advanced societies. On the other hand, it is not always a matter of well-being and financial success; what is influenced most by educational level is the style of life, rather than its quality.
