In another course that I am taking this semester, we have been discussing the mindsets of people in the Medieval and Renaissance periods of time--mindsets which were, in turn, shaped by the ideas of Plato, Aristotle, and other ancient thinkers.
In regards to education, it was believed that, if the mind of a student was edified and improved as a whole, that student would be better equipped to handle the vagaries of the world outside academia. Nowadays, the motivation for receiving a higher education seems often to be the end result of getting a particular job--people figure out their talents and/or their inclinations, and then they shape their educations to suit those particular paths that they have chosen... But, then, in the case of changing majors, for example, much specialized knowledge that has been absorbed is no longer vital, essentially rendered that time spent learning it wasted, in a sense.
The idea for the Medieval way of thinking was not to teach students how to handle particular subjects, but to get a better handle on life as a whole...which would, in turn, enable them to find their specific professions! By studying such things as gymnastics, music, and poetry, the mind and body are trained to think in logical patterns, which in turn benefits students in every situation of life--knowing critical thinking, thinking rationally, problem-solving, possessing a sense of order and stability; the mentally well-rounded students created in the course of this process are then able to go out into the world and adapt themselves as situations require, and along the way, they will each fulfill ergon (as Plato would say), or discover telos (according to Aristotle).
Thus, the value of a liberal-arts education was not merely for the subjects themselves, but for the life-principles which the study of those subjects could instill over time; it was a matter of Phronesis, "practical knowledge," more than "expert knowledge."
I enjoyed your post. I agree that in today's educational system, students' focus is getting a job. Most do not care to expand their minds or collect knowledge. They want to be able to pass the class and never return to that information again. It's interesting that the Medieval way of thinking was focused on getting a better handle on life as a whole. They supply the students with all kinds of varying knowledge and allow the students to enter the world and choose their ergon. With so much exposure to different aspects of life, these students are probably more prepared than most in today's school systems to make the right decision about what they want to do with their lives. Overall, I agree that our educational system is certainly lacking in many ways. The liberal-arts education would provide much deeper life lessons that would help us live in the real world while finding our ergo without trouble.
ReplyDeleteI think that the idea of teaching people how to live in the real world is very essential to how we develop. Personally, I have changed my major a few different times, and sometimes I am still unsure as to what I want to do. I know that I would benefit from a system similar to the Medieval way of thinking. With that being said, I still feel that it is very important to teach specific skills required for professions once a person decides what they want to do. Good post!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you post, however I think today's education system is suppose to be like medieval times where you are learning to better yourself. The problem is we're too caught up with getting a good grade that we don't actually learn anything.
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