The purpose of education is one that has caused disputes and a lot of debate in the universal society over the years leading to the rise of philosophers who have critiqued and created their school of thought concerning the issue. Some of the objectives of a good education as proposed by philosophers over the years comprise the need to cultivate a longing for knowledge and thus the ability to inquire. These objectives foster self-realization, enable the disposition of rational thinking and thus helps achieve autonomy for an individual. A case study of the attempt to change the Wisconsin University mission statement by Scott Walker from its original educational objectives, which included the search for truth and improvement of human condition to the need to meet the state’s workforce proved just how much of a dispute educational motive can cause.
Phillips and Siegel (2015) state that education at its best should produce knowledgeable and skillful persons well enabled to pursue their personal goals and effectively contribute to the society as autonomous individuals. An ineffective education system causes the shaking of the foundations of society, therefore, making education a key concern to the community at large and thus attracting a great deal of opinions since all parties have a vested interest in the direction it takes. Over the years, various elements of education have been questioned and put to the test including its very core function as to whether it is embraced as an instrument for the conservation of the ideal or an agent of progression. Other aspects that have raised concerns are the components of education and how each educational segment combines for an effective educational process. Thus, questions like what is knowledge? How is it acquired? And how do we measure the effectiveness of its acquisition have led to the very many schools of thought critiquing the process and the system and thus causing its advancement over the years.
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Several critics have been accredited with making the arguments that are the building block of education today, and in this study, I will endeavor to study the works of Hebert Read, Henry David Thoreau, and Neil Postman. It is important to note however that it is believed that the progressive works of the western philosophy are borrowed from Plato’s initial arguments in the 19 th century.
Henry David Thoreau
Thoreau was an active member of the transcendentalism movement that strongly believed in individual freedom which was a stated war against slavery, then considered a social norm. Therefore, his views were deemed to be controversial in the day. The movement questioned the society’s state for its motivation to conformity, its approval for slavery and the lack of independence. Scholars review Thoreau’s education philosophy as one that gave an intrinsic value to the education perspective as a whole rather than a means to achieve value. Motivated by this school of thought that entailed personal freedom to make choices out of a free will, Thoreau raised concerns towards ethics. Henry strongly believed that education should be naturally influenced to avoid the disconnect that was created when other ways were adapted. Therefore, he took it upon himself to endorse role learning which he became aware of as he tried experimental learning in his school at Concord (Willson, 1962). Role learning has taken root in today’s education system owing to his observation that teachers should be more of peers with their students thus making learning more realistic. According to Hoagland (1955), Henry did not understand how corporal punishment could ever be part of a learning process that required a student to be introduced to the environment in which we all belonged to. He endorsed project learning and natural modeling to study and thus try to bridge the gap between religion and education and criticized educational elitism. Thoreau came to this conclusion “To be a philosopher is not merely to have subtle thoughts but so to love wisdom and live as per its dictates, a life of simplicity, freedom, magnanimity and trust” (1950). Like many philosophers, Thoreau’s work remains on pages as learners love education yet hate school because those who implement policies have no concern about how education if effectively applied can change the world. However, his work is not entirely a waste because away from the normal class schedules, organizations associated with environmentalism, literature and popular culture are influenced by his insights.
Neil Postman
According to Dewey (1916), education is the means by which social continuity of life is achieved because death and birth are inevitable, so is the nature of life to endeavor to reproduce itself. Postman’s approach to education is comparable to that of Dewey in that they approach education from the perspective of infinity. Postman adapts a rather uncommon approach to education highlighting the failures of the system which he refers to as false gods and then gives better approaches to education referring to the aspects as new gods. The false gods include Economic utility, Technology, Multiculturalism and Consumership. He criticizes each of these elements on the basis of the empty promise or false hope they give as a motivator for students to pursue education. The economic utility entices the learner with the assuredness of obtaining a good paying job and hence a good life if they perform well. On the other hand, technology promises equality on the issue of access to information and technology, variables that are almost unachievable based on good performance alone because they are affected by many other aspects. The new true gods he endorses are the stewardship of the spaceship earth, the fallen angel, the American Experiment, the Law of diversity, and the relationship between language and reality. Postman is keen to advocate for the relevance of education in the seemingly losing battle of the former measures of the standard of education. He advocates for the aspect of human reality to find a place in the education system thus creating a never-ending purpose for education.
Herbert Read
Read’s education philosophy can be credited with what the education system has achieved today because its core principle bears a lot of relevance to the improvement of the learning process right from initiation into the system. Read advocated for education to be made synonymous with art, an aspect that would cultivate creativity amongst learners. Cannatella (2007) points out that like Schiller, Read had concluded that the measurement of educational standards, like many other aspects of life, was false because they did not consider the true value of life. Read recognized the ability of art to stir the imagination and easily convey it through a channel that motivated attention and moved away from the routine that often causes the mind to be oblivious. By tapping into the expressive power of art, cultures are effectively learned and emotions captured in a manner that mere words cannot capture. Read (1966) concludes that the human psychological need for language, intuition, sense, language, imagination and spontaneity is facilitated by gifts that are as a result of Art education. His approach to education advocated for individual experience of the world that was not subject to the perquisites of other people. He valued the unique discovery of the world that is distinctive to every individual helping them open up to the world and equally letting the universe exploit what they have to offer
References
Cannatella , H (2007) Education through Art, Retrieved from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.602.3551&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Dewey, J., 1916, Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education , New York: Macmillan.
Hoagland, C. (1955) The Diary of Thoreau's Gentle Boy. The New England Quarterly
December, 481-82.
Phillips, D.C. and Siegel, H. (2015), "Philosophy of Education," The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2015 Edition),
Read, H. (1966), The Redemption Of The Robot, My Encounter with Education through Art. New York, A Trident Press Book.
Thoreau, H.D. (1950). Walden and Other Writings. Ed. Brooks Atkinson. New York: Random House.
Willson, L. (1962). Thoreau on Education. History of Education Quarterly, Vol. 2, No. 1
