Education In Abraham Nader: The Tradition Of History

The tradition of history is the tradition of spreading knowledge and learning from the past. This tradition of history can be spread through many different methods. In this excerpt, Nader says that his knowledge of history began with the stories that his parents told him at a very young age. These stories gave Nader a look into the actions of people from the past and provided him many benefits. Nader says that the exposure to such stories “is crucial for understanding the present and shaping the future” (p.51). In this quote, Nader is essentially saying that a strong knowledge of the past can enable people to better understand their current state of events, and allow them to take action for their future. Nader shows that the knowledge of the

In this article, Nader says that education in a person’s life is not only learning the facts that school teaches, but also learning how to think outside those facts. In this excerpt, Nader says that Education coming from school is what he was taught to believe, and at home “[he] received his real education, which had more to do with thought” (p.70). The education of thought is derived from questioning and discussion. Nader says that his parents helped them learn by “posing broad, open ended questions” (p.70). Questioning can help students think outside the box and do more than just memorize. An example of this is seen when Nader’s parents ask him questions like “‘what is the price for clean air today’” (p.71). The answer to questions like this cannot just be found: they should be thought out and made. Discussion or argument can also promote learning because it can help individuals develop their own ideas and challenge other ideas. Nader expresses that debate can lead to quality learning by stating the debate he has with his father. Nader’s father came up with a plan to find a balance between American greed and need. In this plan, he suggests “a system of unlimited income with limited wealth” (p.75). Although this plan never came to fruition, it benefitted Nader because it caused discussion and made the him “[speculate] out loud about how it would be made to work or why it was doomed to fail” (p.75). The tradition

The principles of proper civic duty are to find the issue, discuss it, find a solution, and then carry out the solution. All of this should be done while following the “‘Civic Golden Rule’-that neighbors should treat neighbors as they themselves would like to be treated” (p.135). In this excerpt, Nader shows an example of how civic duty should be carried out by alluding to the actions of his mother. After a devastating hurricane hit Nader’s hometown of Winsted, his mother came up with a solution to prevent the same amount of destruction from happening the next time a hurricane hit. After realizing that a dry dam was the solution to prevent destruction, Nader’s mom pushed the town to build a dam. Even after being rejected once, she tried once again with even more determination and succeeded starting a project to build a dam. After the dam was built, there has not been another flood in their town. Nader’s mom was able to carry out her civic duty by identifying the issue, finding a solution, and executing her plan. The tradition of civic duty is teaching people how to improve their community in the proper