As I mentioned in class, reading your essays the past few days has been epiphanic, or what the French call jouissance, a word with no English translation but is something like profound enjoyment. Great stuff. I share a few highlights here, then I ask you to share one takeaway from the course so far, and your definition, at least for now, of “education.
Micah said: “The massive, overwhelming waves of information wipe away the immediacy of our need to truly comprehend. . . . The natural thing is to withdraw and passively drink from the infinitely wide and insipidly shallow streams of information.”
Abbey Bridges said: “It is impossible to live a truly good life in ignorance without taking the risk that is confronting the truth.” Mark Harris spoke quite a bit about this today.
Meagan said: “The enlightened caveman cannot force his comrades to believe the truth if they have no interest in knowing it.” (I love that she uses the term “comrades” in this context.)
Chelsea said: “living in the shadow of the real world — real here meaning destitution and true hunger in places like the Dominican Republic . . . people don’t want to feel responsible for truth. . . . I want to attack my ignorance.”
Erin said: “We approach learning as a sort of scavenger hunt.”
Taylor inferred: Isn’t Facebook a cave? Distortions, less-than-real, images and shadows, information through so many intermediaries. Oh, yes.
She also said that too often today’s modes of education lack emphasis on rejection and renewing, while only supporting a weak version of recovery.
Morgan Freeman said: “The walls are funny. First you hate them, then you get used to them. Enough time passes, it gets so you depend on them.”
And finally, a point about Plato’s hellish cave. He isn’t counterposing truth with falsity so much as he is comparing reality with the less-than-real, the shadows and images of the real that the people in the cave prefer out of comfort and custom, just as the Morgan Freeman character in Shawshank Redemption articulates it. So it’s truth v. the mere projection of truth in the production of what is only an image or shadow. These images aren’t “untrue” as much as they are un-real, or not reality as lived, as encountered or even learned first-hand. This distinction is important.
Now your turn:
- One takeaway
- A definition of education
And I’d like you to incorporate your classmates’ responses in your posts as you go along. Deadline: noon on Monday, Feb. 13.
1) Overall, I noticed I analyze my life and personal experiences more as part of a daily habit, and I question how my seemingly insignificant choices of today will tie into the life that lies ahead of me. I also find myself thinking, “Why do I want this? Do I want this for my own enjoyment and momentary satisfaction, or does this have wider implications?” I have been particularly evaluating these questions in connection to my education, and I have been trying to determine if my education is living up to the definition of education as set by Booth and Plato. When I first entered college, I know I would have simply answered I am attending college so I can become a Veterinarian. Now, I am beginning to realize my shallow goal of attaining a job should not be the motive for an education, and furthermore, that singular goal will not be enough of a basis for the installation of a true education. I have always had a hunger for learning, but I am not sure if I really desired to gain knowledge or if I simply wanted to achieve my fixated goal. I now have been awoken to the possibility of what my education could really be, and how it shouldn’t be about attaining a job, but my education should extend into the entirety of my life, in both academia and personal, spiritual growth. I should gain a new perspective and not just fill myself with information, which in retrospect is what I have been doing all along, mistakenly believing myself to be educated. So now, I find myself questioning things that I do, finding more connections in the world around me, and overall not just settling to know but to really understand. I also feel that I am only starting to develop these skills, and although they will probably never be fully developed, I hope that by the end of the course I will be more capable of fulfilling a real education.
2) I think a true education has taken effect when an individual accepts the habit of constant curiosity, when it becomes second nature to always ask, “Why?” I find myself largely agreeing with Booth that education is when an individual understands the material for what it really is and can from there accept what is truthful and discard what is not. Booth also discussed once an individual has learned a certain truth, the individual can either decide to implement it into one’s life or ignore it, making it possible for “an educated man…to be a bad man.” I disagree though that this is a real education. If individuals recognize glaringly awful contradictions in their life and do not act upon it, how can we say they learned anything at all? On the other hand, I do agree with Booth’s argument that education can be found anywhere; one does not have to be taught at a university or have a degree. Education is not something that can be necessarily taught; it can only be encouraged and guided. Therefore, my definition of education is when someone actively accepts the lifetime role of a student in all aspects of life, searching for answers that expose the truth (a discovery about the world or one’s self), and implementing this knowledge into one’s everyday living.
1. The most impactful moment I have had in this class came from “The Cave.” There is so much truth in that metaphor that I never saw before, yet is so simple. The people stuck in their little world, the pain and anger of seeing clearly, the ridicule that ensues upon showing others the light… this is a work of pure genius. It really threw into perspective the way that people tend to get stuck in their ways and makes me want to do everything possible to avoid going in to the cave myself. Unless of course, as Taylor suggests, we already are in a cave, in which case I would like to find a way out.
2. As I mentioned in my response, I feel that Plato and Booth differ in their definitions of education when it comes down to the audience. For Booth, education exists to facilitate the analysis of and response to others. Teachers and professors exist to teach us how to interact with the world. Plato makes it more personal, so that education is for personal gain and enlightenment, regardless of what others might think. Plato’s journey through education and the pursuit of knowledge is an individual one that focuses more on the self-help aspect. I agree with Plato here.
1. Like Taylor, I have begun to analyze my actions much more than I have in the past, and like Megan, I have been thinking more about “The Cave.” Together, these make up what I have taken away from the class thus far. I am beginning to think more critically about my actions and see how they reflect differing aspects of being in the cave. Also, I have begun to reflect on my life and how, in the past, my actions have reflected my desire to remain in the cave, with a simple, easier life. Because of this class, I am beginning to see that, although the light might hurt at first, I believe that it will make me better in the end.
2. Along the lines of Booth, my definition of education is the preparations of a student to enter the world on his or her own that involves the learning of abilities that will help them continue to grow and learn later in life. Rather than simple information, education gives you the tools necessary to lead an examined and therefore good life. Also, I believe there is an aspect of philosophy to education; that is, there is a certain mindset of learning that can only be gained through education, regardless of the form that education takes, that is necessary for a good life.
1) My take away from the class so far has been to spend most of my commuting time (walking) thinking about my motivations and values. Why do I do the things that I do? In a way I have been trying to formulate a good life for myself.
2) To define education, I have split the education of school in to two different categories education and knowledge. Education is the development of reasoning and Interaction skills that help to better understand the human factor of our world. Knowledge being the practical skills that one learns. Maths, sciences, historical facts, and rules of grammar are all knowledge to me. Both are important in a college experience (can’t really call it a college education any more).
Take-away Moment
I was not sure what to think about this class at first because I always left class with my mind spinning; I was never entirely sure what had happened in the past hour and a half. However, all of these confusing conversations have led me to think more about the important matters in life. Moreover, discussions have sparked a greater awareness in my life of the good and bad. I have started to think more about my life in general, what is good and bad in it, what I want to change, and my education. I am beginning to live an “examined life”.
I think the topic that has had the most impact on me is education. I am the kind of person that viewed education as just a set of grades; I would complete the assignments, learn the facts, regurgitate them on tests, and then forget them afterwards. Sure, there were some classes that actually seemed to relate to my life, and I learned more in those classes. However, I have never thought much more of my education except to get me from point A to point B – the path to getting a job. But after our class discussion outside last Thursday, I have begun to think more of my education. I’m beginning to view education more as a way of understanding and exploring the world and my purpose in life.
I have realized that I am like one of the chained individuals in Plato’s illustration of the cave. I hear things that are going on outside of me, and I am interested; however, I’m scared to turn towards the light. Relating to Edmundson’s article, I am one of the consumer students who experiences discomfort in the classroom. I always want to speak up in class, but I fear judgment or being wrong. I also don’t like to argue, and I’m afraid that some people may not agree with my views. But, I’ve come to realize that I should and want to make more out of my education; discomfort is okay and normal. I will have to face this in order to achieve a true education and a clearer understanding of my life.
Definition of Education
As I said in my take-away moment, my definition of education has changed dramatically since the beginning of this class. I used to think of education solely as a form of schooling for a job. But now, I would define education as a way of contemplating and questioning my life. Through education, I strive to identify myself and decide how I want to live my life by gaining, analyzing, understanding, and applying knowledge to my life.
1. Our class has reminded me—over and over—that fear is not a valid reason to not to ask hard questions. I am often fearful of being wrong (like Nicole), or of not finding the answers. My undefined thought has been that if I don’t ask the question, I won’t have to wonder if the kind of cut-and-dry answer I want exists. If I never ask the questions—never wonder at what surrounds me—then I don’t have to acknowledge the cave’s existence, or my fear of not being able to escape it. Our class has taught me that asking questions holds value in itself, and even if I never find answers, just asking is worthwhile. As we’ve said, it may not be that we can really achieve a good life, it may be that the pursuit is the goal; answering a question may hold less value than finding the courage to ask it.
2. At its core, education is a release from ignorance. It is the unending and individual process by which every person learns. Learning is the acquisition of both knowledge and understanding (like Adam’s two distinctions), and this learning is what allows us to become ever more free from the bonds of ignorance.
1) I’ve definitely had more than one take-away moment since this class started. Like Nicole said, every time I leave class my mind is working overtime. I always need to talk to someone for a little while once we get out, to tie up loose ends in my head. I’d have to say my biggest epiphany in this class came when we talked about eternity. Ever since I was a child I’ve believed in the Christian concept of eternal life; but I could never really fathom what it might consist of. I always just thought we would be floating around in space, surrounded by the souls of people we love and always in touch with God. I suddenly realized just how excruciatingly boring eternity sounds. Would anything ever change? Do I want this to be true? It has made me question the very basis of my spirituality.
And then I realized….why do I believe in eternity? Have I believed in it just because it was something that sounded like a good solution, and I left it at that? Is that the basis for all of my beliefs? I found myself coming up with way more questions than answers. I think Mark Harris said on Thursday that “faith is believing in something you cannot prove.” This struck me as a great answer; this is why I have so much trouble. I crave proof, I reason through everything. It scares me to think that there are things we just can’t know until we die; but now I understand that faith is not based on proof. It is based on the deep desire, personal need for something to be true. And even if it is wrong, when it comes to perennial questions, faith is usually the best we can do.
2) My definition of education is nearly identical to Booth’s definition. To me education is the strength to reason for yourself and decide what to consider good and true, without having to depend on the conclusions of others. It is freedom from assumption. When you posses the ability and the motivation to ask honest questions about the things that mean a lot to you, and find possible answers based on your personal sense of reason, that is when you can be called an educated person.
These are really terrific responses so far, especially in the ‘takeaway’ or epiphany category. And I thought Mark Harris’s visit Thursday really helped us along in surprising ways. I didn’t expect his visit to be so germane to the things we’ve been talking about even this past week, even The Cave. Here are a few gems from his short time with us:
“My life is harder than those of my friends.” Ooh, Plato would love this. The difficulty of straining toward the light, to reality, to the difficult truths and toward a life of integrity. Mr. Harris, to me, is living and pursuing a good life, which his life seems to define or depict as a life of supreme integrity and consistency, with LOTS of habits of virtue. Harris later said, “Our lives are harder, but really satisfying.”
“In some ways we are missionaries,” he said, referring to his family. This I really like, too. If we do arrive at some semblance of a good life, or its pursuit, I think this would be the natural result. We would want others to see and to know what we’ve discovered, and the many stumbling around aimlessly, purpose-less, might want to look in on the lives of those who seemed to have figured out something of what it means to live well.
“I just want to be carefree. Don’t we all?” AH! This is the tension down in the cave, especially for those who have an inkling that there is something more real, something more authentic and true UP THERE, into the light (or, for Truman, outside that door). But it’s so comfortable, so painless, so predictable just sitting there watching the images float by.
A little learning is dangerous.
Personally, I have really enjoyed this class because despite how much I think I know before coming to class, I leave gaining knowledge more than I’d anticipated. This is why I think everyday (in some form) is a takeaway. However, because we have to choose one, I would say that my most memorable “takeaway moment” was the day someone in our class asked, “What if we could live forever? Would there still be this pursuit of the good life?” Very similar to Taylor’s self evaluation of how her “seemingly insignificant choices of today tie into the life that lies ahead of her” I find that I am also at fault of often thinking to shallowly. I think we should not live as if there is a finish line to run to, but rather search deeper for how to live a better life instead of the wealthiest. Mark Harris’s life really put things into perspective. Just hearing how he gives up the pleasures of this world most people normally strive to obtain their own kind of “happiness” challenged me. No, I don’t think I can give up meat or shop with burlap sacks, but I do hope that I am able to find a way to live not for my own happiness, but for the better of other people.
As for education, just as Nicole stated, my own definition of education has changed since the start of this course. I had always said that education was knowledge in gaining basic skills, but it’s more than that. So with that, like Taylor and Julia, I have to agree with Booth’s definition of education being freedom from ignorance. When we get to the point in life of not just filtering information and processing it into preconceived notions, but allowing ourselves to be open to finding the meaning behind what we’re learning, we truly become educated.
While I have had many minor epiphanies, my revolutionary “aha moment” came to me while reading Edmundson’s article. I felt that he had aptly summarized the majority of college students in his description of our removed apathy, our expectations of entertainment, and our calm, politically correct, hesitant participation in class. While reading, I decided to become my own version of Joon Lee. I know many students profess to seek their passion in college, to find their calling, and to discover a career that combines these two. While I certainly want to do that, I also want to encounter each day without reservation. I don’t want to shy from either stereotypes or eccentricity if they fit the bill. I want to speak up in class with right and wrong answers. I want to wear the clothes I like, and eat the food I want, and not allow these small things to consume more than their due of my thoughts or time. This one article “resonated” with me and sparked my enthusiasm for our life plan project. Bring it on.
My definition of education is a process through which we are taught to seek, to love, to live truth. This last phrase was my high school’s motto, and I have always admired its concise summation. I believe that education is not defined or restricted by classrooms and professors or ages and careers. It is not the consumption of information either, but the combination of the desire to learn, learning to learn, and the use or appreciation of that experience or knowledge.
1. I have had similar ideas about education and how schools and universities are very much like factories. These factories move products –the students- down the conveyor belt of different general education classes and then move them to more specialized classes where they are programmed with a certain purpose and then the finished products are revealed at graduation when the factory tries to sell its product to various companies and professions. I have been displeased with the entire education system but lacked the vocabulary to articulate my feelings. From especially this unit of class I have gained not only vocabulary but sources and authorities from which to draw my ideas. I have been able to define my disappointments in education and formulate ideas on what education should be. Readings from great thinkers like Booth and Edmundson have been really useful in shaping my opinions and that has been really fantastic and helped me grow a lot.
2. Education is not exclusively the means to the end of a vocation. It is a pursuit of knowledge, of freedom. It is something done for simple pleasure in knowing the way the world works and for the specific purpose of making life better by understanding the world, other people and their beliefs. It also helps me understand myself and form my own beliefs from the truths I see and learn from other people. It is a pursuit of freedom in that it allows me to use my own brain and synthesize my own thoughts based on knowledge that I have gained from my own experiences and from reading and listening to others’ experiences.
1. It seems that The Cave has been a take-away for quite a few others as it has been for me. I think the piece was significant in my mind because it speaks of far more than just education and knowledge. I have found the analogy to have a deeply spiritual meaning as well, alluding to the Christian comparison of light to darkness and the Buddhist concept of “enlightenment.” It has been humorous and honestly a little ridiculous how much The Cave shown up in my life outside of class. Last night, I was watching the film “Another Earth” with a friend and much to my surprise the lead character has an entire monologue about The Cave, comparing the fetters to fear. The whole thing was strangely similar to our discussion in class. I could go on, but in summary Plato’s analogy and the themes that it includes have been a recurring theme in my life and have been a definite takeaway from our class so far.
2. I really resonate with Booth’s definition that education is “supposed to liberate men to apply their minds, their critical thinking, to the most important decisions of their lives; how to act, who or what to love, what to call good or true or beautiful.” I agree with Erin that a valuable aspect of education is to love and live truth. However, under this definition, I think it is difficult to justify the societal expectation of attending and graduating from college. Certainly this liberating of the mind can occur at a university, but I have found in my own experience that I have been the most free in the pages of books read for pleasure and on the streets of foreign countries- far from the classroom. But on the larger scale, if learning is not merely a four year activity but something we hope to keep up for a lifetime, then this definition of education is accurate. Liberating our mind and seeking truth requires far more than an textbook and means far more than a GPA- it is a conscience choice to “attack our ignorance” and to sacrifice, in Mark Harris’ words, the carefree aspect of our lives in exchange for true richness.
1. Like so many of my classmates, this class has really got me thinking about my own life a lot more. I would personally like to think that if I died right I would be considered to have lived a good life. However, I don’t really know if that would be true or not. I think the greatest thing that this class has done for me is that I now think about my life not in a sense of what I have already done to make it good or bad, but what I can do later to make it better. It’s led me to think through previous decisions and where they will lead me in the future, but also how I will shape my future into something that might actually be deemed as good. Overall, I think my perspective on life is shifting to make me think of how to improve my life as it is and that by pursuing this good life I might also attain a profound happiness in my and hopefully bring that to others’ lives as well.
2. I think education is the preparation of one’s mind to pursue knowledge and react to that knowledge. Though through education we also gain knowledge, I think that the real goal of education is to teach people to think for theirselves and to find truths within a mass of information and if necessary, to determine what action should be taken upon the acquistion of these truths. I think one of the main failures of education today is the lack of differentiation between knowledge and information. I believe that knowledge is the compilation of the information that one has found and deemed to be true and relevant to life throughout their education. However, information in itself, is meaningless. It is often either simply not true, or irrelevant to anything. Another important part of education is determining what is actually relevant to life. A common problem, especially among young people, is the failure to see how certain information is relevant to thier lives. However, though this could cause them to miss out on important or significant knowledge, it is also essential that these people learn to decide for theirselves what is actually relevant or important.
1. One thing that I have taken from this course thus far is the importance of living a good life outside of religion and eternity. While I still believe that the most important part of a good life is its overlap with religion and its significance to eternity. There is still something to be said for living a good life outside of religion. It is in living a good life, an Aristotelian good life, that you most affectively insure that the life of those around is pleasant, and if those around do the same you create a community of people who, regardless of physical circumstances will have a sense of fulfillment. They will be happy.
2.
Education- a progress toward a better understanding of the world around you that is beyond the physical. This progress must be self-driven; one cannot be educated, one must educate him/herself. The purpose then of educators is not to teach someone rather it is to guide the less educated in their search for better understanding.
Takeaway: Sometimes, I think I might just hate the internet. It’s ridiculous I know, there are so many silly pictures of cats and sites to keep otherwise dead relationships on a social networking life support system, but I can’t help but rebel in my heart against the relentless, unresearched, shamelessly biased behemoth of information. But, according to Plato, those things are not entirely false or evil or lies. They are only the shadows of the truth, so I have to remember my responsibility to “attack my ignorance” by, ad Booth said, recovering meaning and rejecting the false.
Education: Systematically and intentionally seeking knowledge and a holistic perspective on as many aspects of life as time and resources allow.
1. I think my big take-away so far has come since discussing the meaning of education. Honestly, I have been having trouble recently with motivation to work hard. Of course, I want to make good grades to make my parents proud and follow the plan we have had for me for as long as I can remember, but I have lost personal motivation. Since discussing the meaning of education, I have remembered why my parents and I set those goals for me and why I always did like learning. It has given me the motivation I needed to work for more than just a grade.
2. Regarding a definition of education, I strongly agree with Edmundson’s article. He implies that education is accepting ignorance and working to overcome it by asking questions, like Socrates, and by finding answers through courageous trial and error methods. I agree with this definition because asking questions and finding answers engages the student in the material. This form of education will not end once formal education is complete; it is a life-long journey.
1. My takeaway from this class came in reading a History of Happiness by McMahon. I hadn’t thought at all that a life really shouldn’t be judged as good or bad until the end, but it really makes perfect sense. Since nobody knows for sure what is in the future, something could happen that would make a seemingly good life bad, or vice versa. For example, a respected person in the community who has always helped others around him could one day commit murder, and all of a sudden, his life is not judged as good anymore.
2. I think that a education is a continuous process of gaining enlightenment, for lack of a better word. Education is never truly finished, because people can always add to their base of knowledge. I also believe it is a process that must be undertaken by an individual, and while others can help guide along the way, the individual must ultimately achieve education on their own.