The Philosophy of Education Vo. 6 Book II Ch. 4 Pt. 2

Letters, Knowledge and Virtue

Our educational “systems” feel that a literary education takes up too much time. That they can cut out the classic works and turn out students that are capable. However capable they are, they are ignorant. They don’t know the history or literature of their own countries let alone the world. Charlotte says “He has not realized that knowledge is not a store, but rather a stare that a person remains in of or drops out of.”

There was a time in English society where all classes were very learned in the Bible. Their speech, mannerism and character displayed this. Eventually they did away with the “principle knowledge” – The “Knowledge of God” and then we wonder why society behaves the way they do.

The question is how can we educate the students while keeping focused on the classics. The private schools during that time all wanted to turn out “scholars”. The problem is not all students are meant to be “Rhodes Scholars”. Those who are born geniuses will learn on his own, from anything he finds from a flower to great works of poetry. The focus of education should be on the average child. These children are capable of learning Greek and Latin just as well as anyone else. They should know more after 10-12 years of schooling than just basic facts. They should learn about the “humanities”- men, their motives, historical events, etc. You can’t do this by taking shortcuts but only by sowing seeds of great works written by great minds.