Monday, December 10, 2012

The Purpose of Education

My friends and I were talking about the purpose of education over dinner on Saturday night. This video criticizes one side of the issue; namely, the idea that the purpose of education is to prepare you for a job. It should not be the goal of education.1


1. But it may be a collateral benefit.

[Hat Tip: Veronica at Canadian Atheist.]
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4 comments:

  1. AnonymousMonday, December 10, 2012 11:26:00 AM

    An unqualified second from me. Offload the mindless filling in the blank certification and job training stuff to on-line courses. And let teachers at all levels educate people, which is a social process. We'd move a long ways towards resolving some issues if we recognized these two as clearly distinct goals aimed towards very different audiences.

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  2. AnonymousMonday, December 10, 2012 1:27:00 PM

    I thought the goal of education was to produce informed, critical thinkers who can be effective citizens but I guess your video's point is correct enough...

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  3. Piotr GąsiorowskiTuesday, December 11, 2012 1:15:00 AM

    The purpose of university-level education will soon be redefined as the transfer, from generation to generation, of skills related to the filling in of all kinds of forms, reports and grant applications. The primary mission of Academia will be to engage in high-profit commercial activities to generate incone. Not sordidi lucri causa, of course, but to free the government from spending the taxpayer's money on research (if, by any chance, university workers still have any time left for such a traditional pastime).

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  4. Robert ByersTuesday, December 11, 2012 2:36:00 AM

    Education is just about gaining knowledge (or to use the bible also understanding and wisdom)
    This knowledge being needed or not for ones future.
    Its to make a better man or civilization that a civilization believes in educating its people.
    Getting jobs is just another thing to gain.

    I know a girl who gets top top top marks in uviversity but says the professors don't matter and she doesn't need them.
    However the teaching is still coming from textbooks.
    Teachers are not just the ones with the knowledge that needs to be gained by kids but are the ones who can give excellent Directions to get the knowledge easily into ones minds.
    Teachers can make kids smarter/ know more by explaining things better then home study.

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