Even more concerns about the future

Yes, yes, yes, I've been thinking a lot about the future lately. The more I think about it, though, the less likely it seems that there will be much of one. I know that sounds pessimistic and cynical, but it's not really meant as such. It's really a mere straightforward observation. The powers-that-be -- regardless of who you might think that is -- aren't really all that interested in you. They're certainly not interested in your kids or grandkids or nieces and nephews, or anybody other than themselves, and maybe their own.

A few posts ago, I mentioned that the end of education, as it appeared in the Late Enlightenment and Early Industrial Age, was an educated public that was crucial to the success of a functioning democracy. Actually, that's not true at all. I know, that's the accepted wisdom and all, but when we take a serious, critical look at history, we find that deep down, education has always been more about upholding the reigning interests of the time. Do we really believe that with the rise of the nation-state after the Treaty of Westphalia that all those monarchs who founded universities were interested in an enlightened populace? Not really. They were looking for bureaucrats and managers to run their ever expanding realms of influence and power. Even in America where we avoided the hereditary aristocracy ... well, at least until the fabulously wealthy started passing on their wealth to subsequent generations, then it became hereditary after all ... the idea was to school and socialize the populace to become conformists, upholders of the status-quo.

Fichte, the German philosopher who really jump-started mass education, did so in order that "Germans would become better Germans". You only need one day in any American public (or private) school to know that the primary aim of American mass education is to ensure that "Americans become better Americans". What we need to ask ourselves is what "better" means in these contexts. I'm not saying that there is anything fundamentally or inherently wrong with the status-quo values that are the primary object of education, but I am questioning the wisdom of indoctrination and suppression of critical thinking. You can't have both.

I don't know why we're so afraid of those who think critically. If the values you uphold are truly worthwhile, wouldn't they stand up under critical scrutiny? One would think so, but we find out that more often than not, the values being propagated are very good for some, and not so good or downright harmful to others. That's the problem. It's becoming clear that what is being said is policy is not really what is policy.

More and more people are starting to see the cracks in the facade.