The Aims of EducationAlfred North Whitehead.docx

The Aims of EducationAlfred North Whitehead.docx

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TheAimsofEducationAlfredNorthWhitehead

Cultureisactivityofthought,andreceptivenesstobeautyandhumanefeeling.Scrapsofinformationhavenothingtodowithit.Amerelywell-informedmanisthemostuselessboreonGod’searth.Whatweshouldaimatproducingismenwhopossessbothcultureandexpertknowledgeinsomespecialdirection.Theirexpertknowledgewillgivethemthegroundtostartfrom,andtheirculturewillleadthemasdeepasphilosophyandashighasart.Wehavetorememberthatthevaluableintellectualdevelopmentisself-development,andthatitmostlytakesplacebetweentheagesofsixteenandthirty.Astotraining,themostimportantpartisgivenbymothersbeforetheageoftwelve.AsayingduetoArchbishopTempleillustratesmymeaning.Surprisewasexpressedatthesuccessinafter-lifeofaman,whoasaboyatRugbyhadbeensomewhatundistin-guished.Heanswered,“Itisnotwhattheyareateighteen,itiswhattheybecomeafterwardsthatmatters.”

Intrainingachildtoactivityofthought,aboveallthingswemustbewareofwhatIwillcall“inertideas”—thatistosay,ideasthataremerelyreceivedintothemindwithoutbeingutilised,ortested,orthrownintofreshcombinations.

Inthehistoryofeducation,themoststrikingphenomenonisthatschoolsoflearning,whichatoneepocharealivewithafermentofgenius,inasucceedinggenerationexhibitmerelypedantryandroutine.Thereasonis,thattheyareoverladenwithinertideas.Educationwithinertideasisnotonlyuseless:

itis,aboveallthings,harmful—Corruptiooptimi,pessima.Exceptatrareintervalsofintellectualferment,educationinthepasthasbeenradicallyinfectedwithinertideas.Thatisthereasonwhyuneducatedcleverwomen,whohaveseenmuchoftheworld,areinmiddlelifesomuchthemostculturedpartofthecommunity.Theyhavebeensavedfromthishorribleburdenofinertideas.Everyintellectualrevolutionwhichhaseverstirredhumanityintogreatnesshasbeenapassionateprotestagainstinertideas.Then,alas,withpatheticignoranceofhumanpsychology,ithasproceededbysomeeducationalschemetobindhumanityafreshwithinertideasofitsownfashioning.

Letusnowaskhowinoursystemofeducationwearetoguardagainstthismentaldryrot.Weenunciatetwoeducationalcommandments,“Donotteachtoomanysubjects,”andagain,“Whatyouteach,teachthoroughly.”

Theresultofteachingsmallpartsofalargenumberofsubjectsisthepassivereceptionofdisconnectedideas,notilluminedwithanysparkofvitality.Letthemainideaswhichareintroducedintoachild’seducationbefewandimportant,andletthembethrownintoeverycombinationpossible.Thechildshouldmakethemhisown,andshouldunderstandtheirapplicationhereandnowinthecircumstancesofhisactuallife.Fromtheverybeginningofhiseducation,thechildshouldexperiencethejoyofdiscovery.Thediscoverywhichhehastomake,isthatgeneralideasgiveanunderstandingofthatstreamofeventswhichpoursthroughhislife,whichishislife.ByunderstandingImeanmorethanamerelogicalanalysis,thoughthatisincluded.Imean“understanding’inthesenseinwhichitisusedintheFrenchproverb,“Tounderstandall,istoforgiveall.”Pedantssneerataneducationwhichisuseful.Butifeducationisnotuseful,whatisit?

Isitatalent,tobehiddenawayinanapkin?

Ofcourse,educationshouldbeuseful,whateveryouraiminlife.ItwasusefultoSaintAugustineanditwasusefultoNapoleon.Itisuseful,becauseunderstandingisuseful.

Ipasslightlyoverthatunderstandingwhichshouldbegivenbytheliterarysideofeducation.NordoIwishtobesupposedtopronounceontherelativemeritsofaclassicaloramoderncurriculum.Iwouldonlyremarkthattheunderstandingwhichwewantisanunderstandingofaninsistentpresent.Theonlyuseofaknowledgeofthepastistoequipusforthepresent.Nomoredeadlyharmcanbedonetoyoungmindsthanbydepreciationofthepresent.Thepresentcontainsallthatthereis.Itisholyground;foritisthepast,anditisthefuture.Atthesametimeitmustbeobservedthatanageisnolesspastifitexistedtwohundredyearsagothanifitexistedtwothousandyearsago.Donotbedeceivedbythepedantryofdates.TheagesofShakespeareandofMolièrearenolesspastthanaretheagesofSophoclesandofVirgil.Thecommunionofsaintsisagreatandinspiringassemblage,butithasonlyonepossiblehallofmeeting,andthatis,thepresent,andthemerelapseoftimethroughwhichanyparticulargroupofsaintsmusttraveltoreachthatmeeting-place,makesverylittledifference.

Passingnowtothescientificandlogicalsideofeducation,werememberthatherealsoideaswhicharenotutilisedarepositivelyharmful.Byutilisinganidea,Imeanrelatingittothatstream,compoundedofsenseperceptions,feelings,hopes,desires,andofmentalactivitiesadjustingthoughttothought,whichformsourlife.Icanimagineasetofbeingswhichmightfortifytheirsoulsbypassivelyreviewingdisconnectedideas.Humanityisnotbuiltthatwayexceptperhapssomeeditorsofnewspapers.

Inscientifictraining,thefirstthingtodowithanideaistoproveit.Butallowmeforonemomenttoextendthemeaningof“prove”;Imean—toproveitsworth.Nowanideaisnotworthmuchunlessthepropositionsinwhichitisembodiedaretrue.Accordinglyanessentialpartoftheproofofanideaistheproof,eitherbyexperimentorbylogic,ofthetruthofthepropositions.Butitisnotessentialthatthisproofofthetruthshouldconstitutethefirstintroductiontotheidea.Afterall,itsassertionbytheauthorityofrespectableteachersissufficientevidencetobeginwith.Inourfirstcontactwithasetofpropositions,wecommencebyappreciatingtheirimportance.Thatiswhatwealldoinafter-life.Wedonotattempt,inthestrictsense,toproveortodisproveanything,unlessitsimportancemakesitworthyofthathonour.Thesetwoprocessesofproof,inthenarrowsense,andofappreciation,donotrequirearigidseparationintime.Bothcanbeproceededwithnearlyconcurrently.Butinsofaraseitherprocessmusthavethepriority,itshouldbethatofappreciationbyuse.

Furthermore,weshouldnotendeavourtousepropositionsinisolation.EmphaticallyIdonotmean,aneatlittlesetofexperimentstoillustratePropositionIandthentheproofofPropositionI,aneatlittlesetofexperimentstoillustratePropositionIIandthentheproofofPropositionII,andsoontotheendofthebook.Nothingcouldbemoreboring.Interrelatedtruthsareutilisedenbloc,andthevariouspropositionsareemployedinanyorder,andwithanyreiteration.Choosesomeimportantapplicationsofyourtheoreticalsubject;andstudythemconcurrentlywiththesystematictheoreticalexposition.Keepthetheoreticalexpositionshortandsimple,butletitbestrictandrigidsofarasitgoes.Itshouldnotbetoolongforittobeeasilyknownwiththoroughnessandaccuracy.Theconsequencesofaplethoraofhalf-digestedtheoreticalknowledgearedeplorable.Alsothetheoryshouldnotbemuddledupwiththepractice.Thechildshouldhavenodoubtwhenitisprovingandwhenitisutilising.Mypointisthatwhatisprovedshouldbeutilised,andthatwhatisutilisedshould—sofar,asispracticable—beproved.Iamfarfromassertingthatproofandutilisationarethesamething.

Atthispointofmydiscourse,Icanmostdirectlycarryforwardmyargumentintheoutwardformofadigression.Weareonlyjustrealisingthattheartandscienceofeducationrequireageniusandastudyoftheirown;andthatthisgeniusandthissciencearemorethanabareknowledgeofsomebranchofscienceorofliterature.Thistruthwaspartiallyperceivedinthepastgeneration;andheadmasters,somewhatcrudely,wereapttosupersedelearningintheircolleaguesbyrequiringleft-handbowlingandatasteforfootball.Butcultureismorethancricket,andmorethanfootball,andmorethanextentofknowledge.

Educationistheacquisitionoftheartoftheutilisationofknowledge.Thisisanartverydifficulttoimpart.Wheneveratextbookiswrittenofrealeducationalworth,youmaybequitecertainthatsomereviewerwillsaythatitwillbedifficulttoteachfromit.Ofcourseitwillbedifficulttoteachfromit.Ifitwereeasy,thebookoughttobeburned;foritcannotbeeducational.Ineducation,aselsewhere,thebroadprimrosepathleadstoanastyplace.Thisevilpathisrepresentedbyabookorasetoflectureswhichwillpracticallyenablethestudenttolearnbyheartallthequestionslikelytobeaskedatthenextexternalexamination.AndImaysayinpassingthatnoeducationalsystemispossibleunlesseveryquestiondirectlyaskedofapupilatanyexaminationiseitherframedormodifiedbytheactualteacherofthatpupilinthatsubject.Theexternalassessormayreportonthecurriculumorontheperformanceofthepupils,butnevershouldbeallowedtoaskthepupilaquestionwhichhasnotbeenstrictlysupervisedbytheactualteacher,oratleastinspiredbyalongconferencewithhim.Thereareafewexceptionstothisrule,buttheyareexceptions,andcouldeasilybeallowedforunderthegeneralrule.

Wenowreturntomypreviouspoint,thattheoreticalideasshouldalwaysfindimportantapplicationswithinthepupil’scurriculum.Thisisnotaneasydoctrinetoapply,butaveryhardone.Itcontainswithinitselftheproblemofkeepingknowledgealive,ofpreventingitfrombecominginert,whichisthecentralproblemofalleducation.

Thebestprocedurewilldependonseveralfactors,noneofwhichcanbeneglected,namely,thegeniusoftheteacher,theint