Thought this sounded pretty interesting...especially considering the fact that it was the NYTimes even asking the question.
Actually sounds a bit like some recent arguments made on the Mises Daily...
Why Do Students Regard Reading as Torture?
In Defense of the Shadow Scholar
Haha. Funny coincidence. I have a Research Practicum class where we work with professional scientists in universities, and today I logged into Mises for the first time today from school during the class and the first thing I see is “Are Research Papers a Waste of time?”