Essay, Research Paper: Response To "The Aims Of Education," By

The advantage of growing up in modern times is that the majority of children are able to choose their path in life. Whether a child wants to become a doctor or a teacher, it is an obligation of this nation that this child receives the opportunity to sample the basic elements of education. Upon having sampled the various foundations of which all modern trades incorporate into their functions, a child, who by this point has become a young adult, can now make a plausible decision as to what career they will pursue. In contradiction to Whitehead's comment, I believe that education is not a "list said to represent Life," but rather a menu that represents the possibilities of life. For a nurse, who has already chosen their calling, the time spent having learned geometry and literature may seem to have been in vain. However if that nurse were never introduced to the various subjects, they most likely would never have known that their interest lies in the anatomy field. Or even worse, they might have made an amiss decision, and selected a career path they later regret. It is true that at some point people will establish their goals for the future, and no longer require knowledge not pertaining to those goals, but that is usually an adult decision, and occurs late in the high school years, which from this point, one can choose to resume schooling in a single facet of education, or to commence work at an unschooled job. Whitehead deems that education should be based upon a single subject, "Life in all its manifestations," but this is an extremely idealistic and outdated notion, as the majority of modern careers require more than conventional intuition. While to be an early farmer required scarce education, nowadays a successful farmer must be knowledgeable in the objective details of economics, agriculture, and even basic mathematics.

















 







Although there are certain people who would benefit from inserting Whitehead's philosophy into modern civilization, those are the destitute few, whom the nation has overlooked in granting the basis of education necessary to choose a path for the future. Unfortunately, the modern society of the majority can not be receded for these individuals. At first sight, Whitehead's commentary seems somewhat veritable, but after careful analysis, it is clearly evident that "The Aims of Education" is an outdated idealistic notion; subject based education is the backbone of modern society.