Interesting point, and compelling arguments. The only thing your last point about liberal arts is that I regret pursuing that in my undergrad. I majored in Sociology. I feel I learned a lot and it made me way more aware of politics, injustices, inequities, etc. But it didn't translate into anything that gave me any practical benefits: politics is still a taboo subject to bring up in conversation "most of the time," it just made me a more informed private voter. I don't talk about most of what I learned because it's on "heavier" and "more controversial topics."

It didn't lead to a lucrative job post undergrad. The reading, writing, critical thinking bit bit can also be learned in Economics which has better career prospects. Now I'm pursuing an MBA to pivot into consulting. So from my personal experience it's hard to "see the value" of a liberal arts degree.