The Purpose of Education

Resha Caner said:

What would you say is the purpose of education?

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to acquire knowledge, to help navigate life.

Noxot said:

from my own self I would define education as something like "to learn" or "to know". so education seems to me to be a naturally occurring part of human existence.

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Ha! I think that is better than mine.... In a way however, its kind of the same thing in a tangent sort of perspective... Humans strive for survival.. and that means, at least in part, some form of independence.

Resha Caner said:

And a valid point. I didn't mean to disparage it.

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You didn't.. I'm no authority on this stuff but spending a bit of time thinking about things like this make for nice puzzles.. Gets me away from my Sudoku...

Education serves multiple purposes, and what purposes are served varies with time and place. A biology teacher in Texas serves different purposes than one in Maine or California. An education at Wheaton has a different set of purposes than one at Princeton. We may pretend education is just about imparting information, but, more importantly, it is about instilling attitudes and habits of thought. It is about shaping students to "fit in", it is about inculcating social constraints and a socially acceptable worldview. It is about being politically correct and economically useful. It is about conforming to acceptable, established structures. That's why football and basketball are more important than math and chemistry.

Murby said:

Educating the masses to gain power and control over them.. This isn't education, its indoctrination and its a very different thing.

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When education becomes, or includes, indoctrination - which, I would argue, is nearly all of the time - is when it detracts from independence rather than enhances independence.

Mudinyeri said:

When education becomes, or includes, indoctrination - which, I would argue, is nearly all of the time - is when it detracts from independence rather than enhances independence.

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Humans are social animals. Very few of us could survive without society. If we live in society our independence must be subordinated to our interdependence. Or to put it another way, "Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose..."
I think one of the main things that the biblical Jesus was trying to teach was that to attain to his kingdom you had to give up everything. You don't own things, things own you. You aren't going to find his real followers huddling in churches and synagogues, taking courage and comfort from their cowardly and uncomfortable neighbors. His real followers know that they walk alone through the valley of death. It is the basic truth of Buddhism that suffering arises from clinging and desire. Much evil is done to satisfy the expectations of family, friends and society.

oh the human is harder to pin down than any human has as of yet figured out. it's quite lovely.

Noxot said:

sometimes it is for power and control

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Of who, and by who?

Resha Caner said:

What would you say is the purpose of education?

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If outcome is reflective of purpose, I think the original purpose got lost somewhere.

Resha Caner said:

Maybe I missed it, but I didn't really see any "student-centered" comments on education.

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for me all education is to some measure student-centered seeing as real education can only come to those who seek it.

OldWiseGuy said:

Of who, and by who?

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whoever desires power in whatever form that happens to take... and by the evil spirits who don't see God and who thus walk around blindly doing things that are not concerned for the divine reality. the closer our souls are to God the less like that we shall be.

Resha Caner said:

What would you say is the purpose of education?

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So that one can start to use one's life time more efficiently.

Resha Caner said:

I've probably let this percolate long enough. I'm aware of three different philosophical approaches to education. One is the "transfer of knowledge" approach that focuses on teaching a particular subject. The teacher is largely in a "knowledge for knowledge's sake" role, and leaves the reasons why the student is there to the student. The second is teaching to meet the needs of society, and the third is teaching to help the student discover what they need.

Most of the comments here centered on knowledge transfer with a few comments about society. Maybe I missed it, but I didn't really see any "student-centered" comments on education.

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Maybe that´s because you asked for "the purpose" of education, and now you are talking about "approaches to" education?

Resha Caner said:

That's an anecdotal answer ... and both your examples are physicists - even from within the narrow cosmological evirons of physics. I'm sure examples of the opposite could be given.



And this is just semantics. You can call it indoctrination just as easily as those doing the indoctrinating can call it education.

I get your point, and don't disagree. I'm just not convinced education is focused solely on the independence you speak of.

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I disagree. Indoctrination is more about teaching opinions as if they are facts and excluding facts which may contradict those opinions.

Education is about teaching facts, methods of thinking, etc. It can include learning about certain beliefs and opinions...but they aren't taught as facts.

One failing of modern education is that it fails to teach general knowledge. Every generation must reinvent this wheel (of course not knowing how plumbing works keeps plumbers busy).

The system also fails to take into account that kids learn differently. All the kids are on 'time probation'. Learn in the system's timeframe or be left behind. The liberal idea that "we're all in this together" rings pretty hollow when the system leaves so many behind who would otherwise succeed given a little more attention.

Mudinyeri said:

When education becomes, or includes, indoctrination - which, I would argue, is nearly all of the time - is when it detracts from independence rather than enhances independence.

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How do you determine, when education involves indocrination?

bhsmte said:

How do you determine, when education involves indocrination?

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When opinion is interjected and (certain lines of) questioning and critical thinking are no longer allowed.

Mudinyeri said:

When opinion is interjected and (certain lines of) questioning and critical thinking are no longer allowed.

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Agree. When opinions are discussed it should be made clear. Same applies to making it clear when well established facts are discussed.

Also if opinions are noted, a good teacher will allow the opinion to generate open discussion on the issue.

bhsmte said:

Agree. When opinions are discussed it should be made clear. Same applies to making it clear when well established facts are discussed.

Also if opinions are noted, a good teacher will allow the opinion to generate open discussion on the issue.

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What? We agree?

Education's purpose is to keep adults with education degrees getting a paycheck for working 9 months a year, so that they can contribute to unions that in turn lobby legislatures and perpetuate education.