What kind of people do we want to be? What kind of children do we want to educate and train? We are trapped into our systems. Time is short, and we have to perform. Selection begins at a very early age, and parents no longer have any real choice. Some opt for home-schooling, but they do so with the knowledge that one day they will have to face society, its order, its requirements and its system. The alternatives are very difficult. It seems to be a long time since both parental roles and the classical education that was officially provided by schools were determined by a certain human ideal, a spiritual path, a philosophical conception or a religious hope. Education used to be something of a rite, and there was something ‘sacred’ about followings its stages, which were initiatory rather than critical. Greek and Eastern traditions are very similar, contrary to what has often been suggested: the quest for truth, asceticism, renunciation and meditation require teaching techniques that have been established with reference to the philosophical and spiritual objectives that are being pursued.
That stage is conspicuously absent today, given the frenzy for structural reforms in every area of education. At the primary-school level, we argue about age groups, repeating years, the need for grading, the curriculum and the role of teachers, but discussions of the underlying philosophy of educating children have been marginalized. They are regarded as no more than pointless philosophical discussions; the important things are, we are told, efficiency and ‘performance’. Children are given more and more information, and the new technologies are influencing both their minds and their behaviour. The means of communications constantly reveal the diversity of cultures and societies, but it is also visible in the reality of the classroom, where children of different colours and from different backgrounds mingle.
We need a philosophy of education that can meet contemporary challenges at the local level, in our relationship with the environment and with the world. Now that we live in an age of globalization, education requires a new philosophical debate involving as many sensibilities and schools of thought as possible. Philosophers seem to have lost interest, whilst theologians hide behind the ideals of religion and educationalists focus exclusively on techniques. And yet a school system that does not discuss its conception of man collectively is a system that has no ideals and no soul. By definition, it will turn out ‘standardized’ individuals and citizens who adapt to society but who have not been taught to reform and transform anything. They may well enjoy their freedom and be able to think critically, but they will use their abilities only to promote their individual well-being and/or personal success. Kant’s maxim has some truth here: even at the very earliest stages of education, when ends are transformed into means, alienation is complete. A system that worships performance, selection and competitiveness has nothing to fear from the critical mind of the individualist: its pupils have already been shaped into its mould..
Some protagonists in the world of economics, mainly at the UN, have reconsidered the nature of the Assessment Indices that are used, but their work has been somewhat marginalized. They have suggested replacing GNP (Gross National Product) and GDP (Gross Domestic Product) with the Human Development Index (HDI), which takes into account well-being, standards of living and sometimes our relationship with the environment. Similar reforms are essential in education, where the notion of and criteria for ‘success at school’ have to be redefined and reassessed. If freedom, autonomy and responsibility are to mean anything, and if they really are the ideals we value, we must provide children with the means to achieve those ideals. They must have a capacity for criticism, especially where information is concerned, a civic sense and a sense of critical loyalty. We live in pluralistic societies and in a global world that is alive with diversity, and it is essential to stimulate children’s curiosity and creativity. The cult of consumerism means that an understanding of taste, ethics and sports (real sports) is also important. Socrates stressed the importance of a healthy body, as did Montaigne and Locke. Many modern educational theorists, from Pestalozzi to Montessori, associate teaching and training minds with the realms of psychology (affectivity and well-being) and the body (physical balance, relations with physical space and hygiene).
The ideal of the ‘man of breeding’ that sustained the critique of religion during the Renaissance is still of interest. It involved the acquisition of knowledge but also liberation from any imposed ideals. We now seem to have gone to the opposite extreme: we impose knowledge, but have no ideals. We have to strike a balance, but that is difficult because the logic of performance is overwhelming, and the competition never ends. There is no way back. There is no room or time for philosophy, or for rational, spiritual and religious discussions about the meaning and purpose of education. And yet we can all see that we have to take the time to have these basic discussions. We will get nowhere without them. Today’s ‘man of breeding’ must be lucid and must, as he acquires knowledge, be able to determine his goals and priorities. He has to be a protester and must criticize an educational system in the name of a human ideal and an applied ethics that can resist economic, financial and even cultural logics that dehumanize. The Spanish liberation theologian Castillo once said that ‘dehumanity’ is a dimension of man, and that dimension cannot be overlooked. Knowledge cannot be divided up into sectors, and we require a holistic approach that can integrate a conception of man, ethics and ends on the one hand, and philosophies, religions and the arts on the other. That is the approach that should govern and direct our thinking about both education and teaching. We have to break out of the infernal logic we are trapped into. ‘Let us free ourselves!’, as Siddhârta would say in the East, as Aristotle would say in the West, and as al-Ghazâli would say somewhere in between the two. Perhaps we need the educational equivalent of ‘liberation theology’ – an education of liberation – and perhaps we can have it if we think in terms of ends. We need to challenge the substance and purpose of skills, the relationship between school and society, between the universities and civic life, and between knowledge and solidarity. This is not a utopia. It is a necessity.
The most important thing we can do in the education of our children is to teach them to think critically; to question, keep an open mind and look for evidence before evaluating.
Critical thinking is the enemy of dictators, autocrats and some religions, who use indoctrination as a means of control over the people.
E-ducere – to lead, draw out. A good teacher shows pupils how to think, not what to think.
There are no others ways to grow critical-minded children, others than letting them face the world, the globalization, its disparities, social injustice… etc. It is a big mistake to think that you can “protect” your child from the world outside, just by keeping it hidden from him/her. The initiation is smooth, but it is still there, at every step, every discussion.
People feel (or may be really) trapped in the system because they are lazy (or may be insubstantial). Every mother, every father should spend the necessary time to educate its children. Not money, but time.
One should not be denied access to practicing the true art of the Islamic-way-living with The Will of Allah (S.B.T.), The Message of which was to The Prophet (p.b.u.h.). Real freedom on earth is offered to the true sincere believer on earth by being active with the fundamental teachings of Islam. Peace exists between all true believers in The One God, and great lessons can be learnt from ancient belief systems about personalities and potentiel capabilities. In the psychopathic “society” there is hardly any chance to be considering that powerful psychopaths work away the lives of true sincere believers by imposing subtle physical and chemical abuses or sufferings, destructive black magic or psychopathic witchcraft. In Islam it is uncumbent to be a part of “society”, however one should be able to walk away when the “game” stands to such a point that you may not even exist as a true human being as taught by Islam: The violence is too overwhelming that one is stifled to waste one’s own being, time, space and energy.
Our children are the next generation and we want them to live in a fair and intelligent society. But we can`t teach our children these things in this criminal and unjust world. We should start changing ourselves. And only parents are able to improve the education system for children`s future.