The Purpose Of Education

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The Purpose of Education (as We Know It) Education is, literally, the act of acquiring general knowledge and developing powers of reasoning and judgment. Linguistics is a funny thing though and it can’t deliver the entire scope of the many different cultural and historical contexts that the word education truly embodies. The focus of the essay, “The Myth of Education and Empowerment” by Gary Colombo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle, is to explore how the historical roots of the United States’ education system and its original purpose give great influence to how we, in our American culture, perceive both the school system and education in and of itself. In this vein I believe that the purpose of education is multifaceted. Education is itself a noble goal. The acquisition of intellectual knowledge is a powerful tool that is unique to our species alone. Education is how humans are able to advance technologically, artistically, and culturally. The cultural context is where the education system as we know it today comes in to play. Culture is entirely dependent on history, however so it’s important to examine the roots of the US education system. The roots of the United States’ education system are intertwined with the roots of the nation as a whole. As stated in the essay: “The Puritans who established the Massachusetts Bay Colony viewed education with respectful skepticism. Schooling in Puritan society was a force for spiritual rather than worldly advancement” (Colombo, Cullen, Lisle 111). In essence, the Puritans used education as a means to control and restrict society. Education was to be used to teach children the Puritan interpretation of the Bible. Pre-Revolution American school teachers were often in indentured servitude having exchanged their freedom for passage to the colonies. The Revolutionary War was the first turning point for education and
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