What is education?

[Astralinre]

Well, we've had a post about grades, a post about school systems, and a post about the role of religion in education, but we've yet to have a discussion about what education is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's a few question to help frame the discussion:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is education's purpose? What should it consist of? What is its goal, and how should we reach that goal?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is it purely utilitarian? If so, why? Does it make a better society? If so, how? Does it have a purpose beyond getting a job or bettering society? If so, what?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feel free to bring in any other issues I haven't thought of.

[logic-is-overrated]

Brainwashing.

[rushrock]

umm...learning? *duh*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

we have school so we dont end up brain dead over our offices when our boss yells "I'm gonna need that report at our meeting on Friday!" :XD:

[knives669]

Hmmm. Very interesting topic. :D

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think the purpose of education is to put everyone in society on the same level of intellect. It makes communication easier, as well as other transactions in society easier (such as transactions with money).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In my opinion, the society should decide what education should consist of. The goal of education is to provide someone with the proper foundation to go about pursuing their career, and gives someone knowledge to use within their career.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Does it make a better society? Yes. I think so. It provides society with people who can do their job correctly. You don't want a dentist working on your teeth when he doesn't even know about the structure of the human mouth, do you?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Does it have a purpose beyond getting a job or bettering society? Yes. I think so. I like learning things. :D Even if I don't think I'll use knowledge of the sky and planets in my career, it's something that's good to know about... Helps us become more aware of our world and surroundings, I suppose.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once again, very interesting topic.

[BlueTear]

The goal of education in a democratic society, apart from providing a framework to build further studies on and teaching children how to survive in todays society (let's face it... most of us live in socities where being illiterate would be like being handicapped), is to teach us to be good citizens in said society. In my opinion, this bit of education is often overlooked, even though it's - IMHO anyway - a lot more important to learn than some of the elementary school algebra.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't think you can have a society that is truly democratic unless time and effort is spent using education to raise the next generation to be tolerant, excercise critical thinking and careful analysis. Teach them the importance of voting. Expose them to culture in forms they'd never see at home. Open their minds and broaden their views.

[Abyssalwhip]

education is for so you like duhn tak dis or having sex\ a baby at 14... like the thread i posted on yesterday

[BEAR]

Education was designed so that the government could interact with each and every child at a young, young age.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why would the government want to do that?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Because the government thinks it knows best.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, yes, the government is just like that, and they always have been. Sure, the government used to allow slavery, used to limit womens rights, used to allow men to beat their wives and children and sit back with a cup of lemonade while the blacks worked their cottonfields...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But yes, yes, the government is ever so sure that it has everything situated right now. The government is perfect now! Flawless! Despite a history of civil war and depression, a past of rape, death and suffering for all but the great white God worshippers, the government has changed now, people, it's all better now...Despite the thousands of forest fires blazing and the tra-fillbickillion litres of gas burnt each day, despite the extinct animals and third world countries that starve to death while we drive massive SUVs with heated seats so our buns don't get cold, deep down inside the government cares about us all, so they offer us the opportunity to have a good education, so that we can all go to work in factories so that the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or you know...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brainwashing.

[BlueLancer]

 

 

 

You can't have a society that is truly democratic unless time and effort is spent using education to raise the next generation to be tolerant, excercise critical thinking and careful analysis. Teach them the importance of voting. Expose them to culture in forms they'd never see at home. Open their minds and broaden their views.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry for taking the liberty to edit your quote a bit, but it is absolutely true. That's the real purpose of education, or that's what it should be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is also a point to logic-is-overrated's message. A lot of current western school systems, especially those funded by the state, are created to make good, obedient tax-payers and instilling them with certain types of views on subjects and politics that will not conflict with the interests of the state.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Schools that truly encourage real critical thinking and actions are rare. The era of greek-style philosophical education lounges is dead. If a teacher is arguably wrong, the student could point this out and the teacher would applaud the student for it. Not any more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The point of education is not that you can boast with your "GPA" or how your little Johnny did better in the algebra test than Tommy next door who is now crying because his parents punished him for not reading enough for the exam.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The point of education is to make you use your own brains and not always blindly follow orders somebody else is giving you and trying to control your decisions. The point is to make you use your knowledge to your advantage and everybody else's advantage to make the world and your life better.

[knives669]

 

 

 

 

You can't have a society that is truly democratic unless time and effort is spent using education to raise the next generation to be tolerant, excercise critical thinking and careful analysis. Teach them the importance of voting. Expose them to culture in forms they'd never see at home. Open their minds and broaden their views.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry for taking the liberty to edit your quote a bit, but it is absolutely true. That's the real purpose of education, or that's what it should be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is also a point to logic-is-overrated's message. A lot of current western school systems, especially those funded by the state, are created to make good, obedient tax-payers and instilling them with certain types of views on subjects and politics that will not conflict with the interests of the state.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Schools that truly encourage real critical thinking and actions are rare. The era of greek-style philosophical education lounges is dead. If a teacher is arguably wrong, the student could point this out and the teacher would applaud the student for it. Not any more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The point of education is not that you can boast with your "GPA" or how your little Johnny did better in the algebra test than Tommy next door who is now crying because his parents punished him for not reading enough for the exam.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The point of education is to make you use your own brains and not always blindly follow orders somebody else is giving you and trying to control your decisions. The point is to make you use your knowledge to your advantage and everybody else's advantage to make the world and your life better.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I completely agree with you.