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The Impact Of Science On Society

"Scientific societies are as yet in their infancy. . . . It is to be expected that advances in physiology and psychology will give governments much more control over individual mentality than they now have even in totalitarian countries. Fitche laid it down that education should aim at destroying free will, so that, after pupils have left school, they shall be incapable, throughout the rest of their lives, of thinking or acting otherwise than as their schoolmasters would have wished. . . "
-- Bertrand Russell, "The Impact of Science on Society", 1953, pg 49-50

Do you agree?

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I don't agree. Maybe in 1953 it was true, I don't know about that. But I don't see how education can destroy your freedom. If the school is teaching you falsely or drills into your head particular things, then it would be true. Maybe you can say that teaching science as a fact is false, but today many things are built on science so I think knowledge makes you more aware of these things.

Principles, teachers, or 'school masters' are much less independent now than they were. They can not teach whatever they wish but need to follow the guidelines of the district.

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I opposition to Smudge's point of view, I feel that education can effect a person's perspective on life and, hence, their ability to think freely. For example, has anyone noticed how many people have a skewed understanding of history? More and more often, I hear people talking about the fact that there was no Jewish Holocaust. There is lots of evidence, in pictures and eye witnesses, but there is a growing number of people who are certain that the whole 'oppression of the Jews' thing was just a fairy tail cooked up to assist them in their Zionist goals. This is because the history that is being taught in some places is not what many of us older folks were taught when we were growing up. By the same token, the United States is in the process of being 'dumbed down' by political figures who, while saying they are interested in education, do not take the steps that other countries throughout the world are taking. In places like India and Taiwan, the schools are churning out kids that are nearly geniuses compared to what our (the U.S.) public system is putting out at a greatly reduced per student cost than anyplace in the States. Fortunately for those making the decisions, for the most part, they can afford to put their children into private schools and provide a top-notch education for them.

Luckily, there are still teachers who work hard to teach children to think and learn and be all they can be. Otherwise the future would be looking really quite dark and depressing. Also, parents need to take part of the responsibility for their children, doing some of the teaching themselves instead of leaving it to the system. If it were not for the teachers and parents who take the education of upcoming generations seriously, we could be looking at a very Orwellian future where children are taught to obey and not think and decide for themselves. As a parent, some obedience is good, but I also want my kids to know why they are obeying.

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The problem nowadays is that students are being taught what to think, rather than how to think. I've seen a person literally break down in hysterics because she is absolutely lost in life. She is no longer in school, she is a couple years older than me, and everything has been falling apart around her. She has no idea how to cope with it, because she does not know how to think for herself, and she even admitted it.

To me, not knowing how to think for yourself is a loss of freedom. If a student is taught what to think, then he/she is not being given or prepared to make his/her own creed for life. Educators have that power. Our problem is that most teachers nowadays find it easier to teach children what to think, rather than taking the time to make their students search for their own answers, their own beliefs.

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I don't know, maybe it's different around different states in the US, but in my school, I don't feel my freedom is taken away. The history courses do include the holocaust, and individual thinking is a method in science and math.

And even if they don't teach you how to think for yourself, it doesn't mean they take away your freedom, only not provide it.

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It's the same thing, only put in different words. It is still denying that freedom, whether it is simply not allowing a person that freedom in the first place, or taking it away. The fact is, it does give government more control over the minds of people.

States are cracking down and taking control more and more over the curriculum that teacher's are allowed to teach. Take the FCAT in Florida, which is a standardized test that students take once in elementary school, middle school, and high school. Because of the FCAT, teachers are restricted on what they can and cannot teach. So, rather than teachers being able to teach students more of what they need to know for life, and how to think for themselves, they have to teach their students so that the students may pass a test.

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In the area where I observe, and even in some of my lower-level university classes, I constantly see infringements on the intellectual freedom of students. The problem is this - certain classes are required for graduation. Receiving a degree or a diploma is a major reason for education. However, in the way the fulfillment of these requirements is administrated, the educational system has fallen down. The school system is inadvertently designed to trap us in ignorance and indifference.

The above-average student is often imprisoned in the American classroom. He or she is not often allowed to move faster than the rest of the class, even though the mind of the student is consuming the information voraciously. The average student may need to hear a concept or fact repeated 7-10 times in order to absorb it. The bright kids who can pick it up in 1 or 2 repetitions are then effectively put on hold while the teacher repeats and repeats and repeats. Small wonder that Einstein dropped out of school. When the faster learners already understand the material being taught, they often zone out or make mischief. This is not so much a behavior problem or a bad attitude as a natural response to their bondage in a crucible of boredom. School in its present form is not designed for exceptional academic minds.

The slower learner is seldom benefited by this system, either. When most of the class gets the concept, the teacher usually moves on, saying, "You'll get it with some practice." Frustrated at falling farther and farther behind, some of these students choose to get attention by disrupting the class. Class clowns receive more recognition from their peers than do straight A students. When a slow learner decides to stop trying, catching up seems impossible. Both teacher and learner become frustrated, because the class did not meet the needs of the student in the first place. For the slower learner, education seems like an impassible barrier to their freedom and eventual success.

The average student has to deal with the outbursts of the two extremes, and thus the learning process takes longer. He or she may say, "Why do they get away with that? I am doing what I should, yet I get very little special attention." The poor average person, for whom the class is really designed, takes longer to learn, and may experience frustration with his or her peers.

In my grandmother's teaching days, they had a slower class of 3rd graders and a faster class. The slower learners received the attention they needed, learned at a pace they could handle, and didn't have to compete with advanced students. The faster learners didn't have to wait for the teacher to drag the rest of the class along. They could explore more and have discussions and projects at a higher level. Overall, they could learn at a fast enough pace to keep them entertained and engaged. Both the faster and the slower classes were designed to fit the needs of the students therein.

HOWEVER, because of No Child Left Behind and other such measures, teachers are no longer allowed to separate classes in that way. We have to make sure that all types of students, including severe/profound special education students, become integrated into the same classrooms. It sounds noble to throw all different types of students into a class in the name of 'diversity,' but it really does a disservice to all the students and the teacher, because the randomly mixed classroom is often a terrible environment for learning. Thus, the students learn less and suffer in the bondage of ignorance.

I am not saying that we should weed out all the 'stupid kids' or those with disabilities. I am saying that students should be placed in classes with learners at a similar level so all receive maximum benefit from their education.

Edited: howe6079 on 16th Jan, 2005 - 4:30am

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I agree with what Howe has said - I was one of the fast learners in Israel, when you had only one lane. I was so bored and got absolutely nothing out of the class that I dropped it and took a more advanced one out of school.

In my current school, though, there are three lanes designed for that division - advanced, regular and below average. I am in the advanced class and I don't find any process too slow or boring, nor do I think does anyone else.

As for the school requirements - in that I totally agree. People take courses they do just for 'the credits' and it takes away from the purpose of school.