I was reading some philosophy recently and I revisited one of my favorite philosophers - Socrates. I thought of an interesting connection between his famous "Horse-Breeder Analogy" and the current state of formal education.
The Horse-Breeder Analogy, for those of you who don't know, is an analogy that Socrates used to rebuttle the accusations against him that claimed that he was "poisoning the youth".
The analogy claims that amateur horse-breeders will actually do more harm than good to the horses they are breeding. Thus, all horse-breeders should be questioned on their knowledge of horse-breeding. The professional horse-breeders will know how to properly help a horse and groom it to be the best it can be, while the amateur horse-breeder who is never questioned and determined to be an amateur will actually cause much more damage to the quality of the horse that is bred.
The Horse-Breeder Analogy is easily bridged to the idea of living an examined life that Socrates also proclaims - that is, a life of examination and questioning of the so-called facts, morals, and values with which we govern our lives. Socrates claims that an unexamined life is not worth living, but what about the unexamined education?
Is an education that is without the examination of the facts, morals, and values worth pursuing? Should we question what we are told by authorities in the education system - deans, principals, teachers, parents? Should we not only question who is teaching the information but what information is being taught, and how that information is being taught?
We are told not to question the education system, that the so-called adults/authorities know better than everyone else based solely on their age and self-prescribed “experience.” Socrates would tell us that this is a poor way of living and educating oneself. He would tell us to question and examine our "educators" and try to determine if they are an amateur educator - one who is not well-suited to "breed-students" (educate the youth).
If our current "educators" are not questioned, who's to say that they are not corrupting the youth rather than helping the youth be the best they can be? I’m not claiming that all formal education is bad and that all teachers are bad; rather that all education and all teachers should be questioned as to their true abilities as a “professional horse-breeder.” In conventional society, such questions are shot down and dismissed without review, just like Socrates in his questioning of public figures - politicians, doctors, lawyers, etc.
The Book Club Initiative is a rewards program I recently started to increase the value of these posts about books. This community is all about learning, so in order to learn more from each other, I’m asking a question of the day (QOTD) on every book club post.
Every response that answers the question will get upvoted. Upvote value is based on the quality & thoughtfulness of your answer. Thanks for your participation and I hope you guys enjoy this way of building the community and rewarding learning/thoughtfulness. If you guys have any suggestions for ways to improve this program, please let me know, as I’m always looking for ways to better reward everyone for learning! 🏆
QOTD: What is something you believe that is lacking in the current education system? Do you have any ideas for how this can be added? What do you think this might accomplish in terms of better educating the world?