By Bill Murrin
2017
Promoting Education in the Useful Arts & Sciences
“Bees cull their several sweets from this flower and that blossom, here and there where they find them, but themselves afterwards make the honey, which is all and purely their own … so the several fragments he borrows from others, [the student] will transform and shuffle together to compile a work that shall be absolutely his own….”1 Montaigne (1580)
What is education supposed to accomplish? First and foremost, it is to help prepare citizens to be self-determined. Otherwise they may become a burden to society due to social maladjustment that manifests in countless ways. In being able to provide for themselves, citizens subsequently contribute to social wealth and harmony. Another thing education is to provide citizens with is the knowledge of living in a free society, under a constitutionally representative government, respecting the rule of law, and in a free market economic system so they may help steer it in the right direction, either as informed citizens or as representatives.
The purpose of education must include the ability to efficiently and effectively research information when faced with challenges; the ability to reason and see multiple angles to challenges; the ability to transfer learning to innovate and resolve challenges; and the ability to adapt to overcome life's challenges. All other educational pursuits may be supportive, but at the secondary school level, they are subordinate to this general effort. This is what life demands of us, even though some, such as academics, may be insulated from it.
The question, what is the purpose of an education?, in very general terms, is a complicated one since it means different things to different people, demonstrating there can be no one-size-fits-all approach. In essence, education must be as complex as society since it is to prepare individuals for participation in society. However, at the personal level, what education means is an individual concern that is as unique as individuals may be, and individuals are free to expand their minds as far and wide as they desire once the fundamentals are acquired.