I have been thinking about the question posed by Pat Cabe the other day
regarding the theme of a speech he is to give at his school's
commencement:
>I've been thinking that it might be nice to talk about
>some of the correlates of obtaining a college education.
Some of the possible correlates he mentioned were income, divorce rates,
mental health, physical health, longevity, criminal convictions, and
delinquency. In other words, he was asking about the possible effects of
an individual's education on what we might call "the good life." It
seemed to me that Pat's question reflected a common view of the purpose
of an education: that it should help the individual live a successful
life with regard to things such as occupational functioning and
health--that education should lead the individual to become a successful
member of society , as our society currently defines success.
Call me idealistic, but I often cringe when I hear such questions
because I have never looked at the purpose of education in this way. I
suppose that, to be brief, I see the purpose of education as the
development of wisdom rather than the development of skills leading to
success. I think of wisdom as involving a deep understanding of the
world--an understanding that results from a broad knowledge of the
universe as well as from a critical examination of values (of what
should be of fundamental importance in life). Wisdom should allow one to
make decisions "wisely"--to make decisions informed by good judgement
and a well-developed sense. An education with wisdom as the goal cannot
be gained in four years of college: it is a life-long process. But one's
undergraduate education should help one to develop some habits of
thought and knowledge that can assist in the process.
These are the sorts of things I would emphasize in my commencement
speech. In fact, I can give an example of such a speech (go to:
http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC27/Orr.htm) by David Orr, a faculty
member at Oberlin College and the founder of the Meadowcreek Project, an
environmental education center in Fox, AR.
As you might expect, environmental issues are an important focus of his
speech. But, for me, the more general message he is sending out is much
more important. I have quoted below a couple passages that point to this
more general message.
Jeff
------------------------------------------------
Excerpt from:
What Is Education For? Six myths about the foundations of modern
education, and six new principles to replace them
David Orr
http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC27/Orr.htm
"...there is a myth that the purpose of education is that of giving you
the means for upward mobility and success. Thomas Merton once identified
this as the 'mass production of people literally unfit for anything
except to take part in an elaborate and completely artificial charade.'
When asked to write about his own success, Merton responded by saying
that 'if it so happened that I had once written a best seller, this was
a pure accident, due to inattention and naiveté, and I would take very
good care never to do the same again.' His advice to students was to 'be
anything you like, be madmen, drunks, and bastards of every shape and
form, but at all costs avoid one thing: success.'
"The plain fact is that the planet does not need more 'successful'
people. But it does desperately need more peacemakers, healers,
restorers, storytellers, and lovers of every shape and form. It needs
people who live well in their places. It needs people of moral courage
willing to join the fight to make the world habitable and humane. And
these needs have little to do with success as our culture has defined
it."
And:
"The goal of education is not mastery of subject matter, but of one's
person. Subject matter is simply the tool. Much as one would use a
hammer and chisel to carve a block of marble, one uses ideas and
knowledge to forge one's own personhood. For the most part we labor
under a confusion of ends and means, thinking that the goal of education
is to stuff all kinds of facts, techniques, methods, and information
into the student's mind, regardless of how and with what effect it will
be used. The Greeks knew better."
--
Jeffry P. Ricker, Ph.D. Office Phone: (480) 423-6213
9000 E. Chaparral Rd. FAX Number: (480) 423-6298
Psychology Department [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Scottsdale Community College
Scottsdale, AZ 85256-2626
"Science must begin with myths and with the criticism of myths"
Karl Popper
Listowner: Psychologists Educating Students to Think Skeptically (PESTS)
http://www.sc.maricopa.edu/sbscience/pests/index.html
