Philosophy of Education

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Education is an ever evolving system, taking cues from past success to help educate future generations. With so many different views and influences contributing to modern education standards, it can be easy to lose the sight of where education should go and what it should be achieving. The paring of ancient philosophies with modern views and outlooks can help to advance education further than relying only on past success. Education benefits more than the individual, it contributes to societies structure, with this in mind we begin to see how important a quality education is.

The goals of education appear to be simple on the surface: Educate the individual so they will be a value contributor to society. But this can be taken even further, examining what type of society we wish the individual to contribute to. The ancient Greeks saw the need for an educated individual to contribute to an educated society, a society of philosophers, scientists, educators, thinkers, and doers. This is similar to the society which most of us wish to see as a result of educated individuals. “Formal education, in turn, had the purpose of providing the knowledge to fulfill the society’s expectations of its citizens” (69). A society where education is celebrated and seen as the value it is, where higher learning is seen as more value than whoever has the biggest stick for mindless violence and subjugation. Granted this idea stems from Plato's ideal society, but it is more achievable than it would appear, society begins and ends with the individual and his or her contribution (70).

An educated individual holds a great deal of power, the power to rationalize, create, contribute, and defend (70). When it comes to creating an ideal society that celebrates ...

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...their education.

In conclusion, the modern system of education is built on many different societal views, goals, and historical contributions. Each contribution to the modern education system helps to define what it

means to have a truly valuable education and how it plays a pivotal role in our society. While we look to the past to help guide us, we must continue to understand the importance of celebrating the current and advancement to the future. By having a well rounded education system and understanding of what we aim to achieve we are better able to achieve the goal of a well rounded individual who will positively contribute to a society that values education and learning.

Works Cited

Ornstein, Allan C., Daniel U. Levine, and Gerald Lee. Gutek. Foundations of Education. 11th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2011.

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