Liberals and conservatives often talk about education as a pipeline to skilled jobs. However, humanistic approaches see people as much more than productivity machines. Consequently, they have different ideas about what education should achieve. Let’s examine three perspectives on education: Caplan’s arguments, Bourdieu’s philosophy of experience, and Dewey’s view of education in the ‘formal tradition’.
Caplan’s case against education
Bryan Caplan has written a new book, “The Case Against Education,” which has just been released by Princeton University Press. This book argues that public schools are not the best place to teach children the right values. As such, they are a waste of money, and should not be funded.
Caplan’s case against education is based on his own experience. His career was largely spent in the academy. This allowed him to be a professor and researcher at major research institutions. Yet, his results don’t show a correlation between his education and increased competence.
Bourdieu’s perspective on education
Bourdieu’s perspective on education focuses on the role of education in achieving social equality and redressing social injustice. He argues that if education fails to address inequality, it will not achieve its purpose of democratising education. His contributions to the field of education provide important insights into how education can be more effective and equitable.
Bourdieu argues that education plays a crucial role in shaping culture. He claims that schools are habit-forming forces, transmitting a general disposition and specific content to pupils. He further argues that these habits constitute the master patterns of culture, which separate and differentiate individuals according to the extent of their acquired attributes.
Dewey’s philosophy of experience
The philosophy of experience is an important aspect of Dewey’s philosophy of education. This is because it emphasizes the active participation of the learner in forming purposes, which Dewey defined as an intelligent activity. He stressed the importance of experience, as well as learning, for acquiring knowledge and values.
Dewey’s theory of experience in education argues that learning is a two-sided process, and that learning should be linked to life in order to prepare students for society. He equated the learner with an explorer who is mapping an unknown area. The learner has not yet discovered the land and has not yet experienced the hardships that lie ahead of him, but the map will be completed only after the explorer has completed his journey.
Dewey’s view of education in the ‘formal tradition’
John Dewey was born in Burlington, Vermont in 1859. His parents were businessmen and owned a general store. His mother was the daughter of a local judge, and he was a shy boy. His father had a family business that provided a comfortable living for his mother and four brothers. Dewey attended a local school and eventually received a doctorate from Johns Hopkins University.
According to Dewey, the most meaningful experience is the one that involves the learner and educator interacting. The traditional ‘formal tradition’ places much emphasis on the external conditions of education and ignores the internal factors.