Learning, Knowledge, Education
Learning, Knowledge, Education
I don’t think it is controversial to state that learning, knowledge and education are the basis
for the improved state of living we of the West enjoy today. Nor do I believe any reasonable
person will argue that we do not live in a very significantly improved state. Some might argue
against both, but some today argue anything and everything emotionally, and in my opinion
without reason – or more likely without knowledge, since most of those have no real concept of
how things were in earlier times – or even how things are in other parts of the world.
So on to learning, knowledge and education. First I would suggest they are not synonymous –
or even necessarily complementary. Learning is gaining knowledge and education defines the
process, but learning what? And since much knowledge is gained from doing and not learning
through formal education, the process is not always the same. And finally the process of
education at too many levels has become more certification than real learning or gaining of
knowledge. So when we kick this political football around we go way beyond, or more
appropriately fall far short of the theoretical meaning we purport to address.
Years ago Professor Alan Bloom lamented that education had been transformed from an
environment that encouraged thinking and learning about life to career preparation, meaning
particularly that history, literature and philosophy were out of favor. Certainly that has only
accelerated as career knowledge requirements have increased. But today about twenty percent
of people between the ages of 18 and 24 claim to have never read a book for pleasure, but watch
over 2 hours of television a day. The inevitable result of that has to be superficial knowledge at
best. So what? would likely be the normal reaction, and therein lies what I consider the problem:
lack of respect for learning other than that which is needed to do one’s job – and earn a
promotion.
Furthermore I would suggest that much of what is endured in order to gain employment is
more motivated toward completing what is required to become certified (high school diploma)
than learning much of anything, an attitude that is significantly influencing the process of
education. The perception, milked by, if not created by the media and politicians, is that the
process is broken and must be fixed. Perhaps, although not across the board, but not for the
reasons the media and politicians would have us believe - at least not at its roots.
They would have us believe the root of the problem lies with the administrators of the
process: teachers, administrators, teacher’s unions and the like because they can take action,
or at least urge action, to correct that which is tangible; they have identified an enemy to defeat.
Much easier that than to take on deteriorating cultural attitudes, and one must sympathize; how
do you arrest a sliding culture?
There are manifest signs of sliding, more than can be dealt with here satisfactorily, but they
can be rolled into respect, responsibility and motivation. Many kids and parents are united in
their interest in gaining the ends (diploma, grade points, degrees) but largely indifferent to the
means (studying, homework). I use the term entitlement often and believe it is one of the root
causes: many kids and parents believe they are entitled to the ends and should not have their
lives cluttered with the means – particularly means for which they see no viable purpose. Family
deterioration (50% divorce rate) and a relatively universal slackening of discipline of course are
also irrefutable root causes.
No viable purpose. Is that an exaggeration? Perhaps it is, but there is indication that too
many parents and students have little respect for knowledge beyond fundamentals for jobs. How
many times does one hear, I’ll never use that, or what use is it to know about dead white men and
what they did or did not accomplish? Taking their side, much of what they learn may be other
than what is needed for their jobs. History? Geography? Language? Even Math and English
beyond fundamental levels for those not in professions such as engineering, science and
medicine that obviously require them. What they need today, it seems, are the tools equipping
them for sales, and those are somewhat nebulous. There really seems to be little real respect
for what used to be the foundations of learning in a free society, and little understanding, beyond
the obvious basics, of why they should be burdened with them.
When one addresses the deeper responsibilities of a free society and a form of government
that requires citizen participation one sees eyes glaze over. Most people really don’t believe they
have much to contribute to such a society since it has been largely taken over by “them”. And
who are them? One could try and argue the them are those that bother to educate themselves,
but even that is received doubtfully by all but the well placed few. We mostly have ceased
believing that rags to riches is any longer possible, so why try? Oh, unless it is in entertainment,
and who needs education for that?
I think there is another driver, however, and that is a rapidly changing culture, a culture that
doesn’t see things as Americans did in the past, a culture that no longer respects knowledge and
learning – and therefore education. In 1970 less than one in twenty in our population were
foreign born; in 2006 it was one in eight and 10-12 million out of a total of 300 million arrived
illegally. Much of that can be traced to the change in immigration policy in the seventies. But
from an education point of view 17% of all youth were Hispanic at the end of the last century, but
40% of the high school drop outs were Hispanic. Blacks comprised 11% but that statistic was
watered down by the high number of black teenagers that had been incarcerated; the mantra of
studying being equated to “acting white” within what has become known as black culture is
familiar enough.
But without going too deeply into that, what is happening to fix our broken education? Mostly,
I would contend, it is to paper over the problems to make it look good. Look good to whom? To
voters for one, but internationally for another. Our test rankings in math and science compared
to many others in the world have dropped, so the government has edicted that results improve or
schools will be penalized. And since many students have difficulty with math and science (that
are tested internationally), and don’t feel they even need that to which they have already been
exposed, what should we do? Add increased complexity math and science courses to the
curricula. And this when nearing ten percent of the total enrollment in our schools are students
with limited English capability?
It has become popular to smirk at the decline of the most powerful economy in the world, an
economy partially made that way by exceptional educational opportunities. Our own intellectuals
lead in the smirking derision, but international stalwarts such as Chavez of Venezuela and
Amadinajad of Iran pile on gleefully. And of course we believe it as it is fed to us through our
entertainment surfeited channels of propaganda, without accepting any responsibility.
As world challenges increase; as they must with growing population, resource depletion and
competition, and wide gaps among nations and people; the difficulties in dealing with them will as
well. And those difficulties will require more and more knowledge and understanding – of the
problems and the world that is generating them. One of the widest gaps (after income) in the
world is in education, and of course there is very strong correlation between income and
education at a national level.
But therein lies yet another problem, a problem that spans both sides of the argument. We
believe unquestioningly that increased education leads to increased income and ultimately it can
statistically be proven so. But there is a time in between, a time when people who have received
education are not afforded the opportunity to use it – to generate more income. In such cases
there is tendency of the educated but underemployed to seek other outlets. Most terrorist
leaders in the world are educated men and a little knowledge truly can be a dangerous thing if
properly focused and financed, as it seems to be today.
So as we tolerate student indifference while punishing the process we no longer allow to be
disciplined, and demand more complex education that students are convinced they don’t need
(and many don’t, except as a hiring discriminator) many developing countries churn them out as
fast as they can though they have no place for them to go, paying a price of disorder. One cannot
help but get the impression that everything is progressing way too fast for the wrong reasons, or
at least without gaining the balance needed to support it all. And of course the media sits back
and snipes, without offering alternatives.
Is it really learning, knowledge and education we seek or is just money and power? That is
not a flippant question; for many in the world money means a reasonable existence, not vast
riches. American kids dream of getting rich; developing nations’ kids are more likely to just want
to survive – until they gain that plateau that yields a better view of the possibilities. And world
communications, with that essential level of education, provides exactly that plateau. If learning,
knowledge and education are perceived as the means, they certainly are not perceived as the
end and the dilemma is apparent, even though controlling it is no longer possible. In one place,
America, it is the core of decline; in others, many developing nations, it is the core of discontent
leading to disorder. But is it really? Is education, or lack of it, the problem? Or have we been left
behind again, fighting yesterday’s battle? How much education went into the drug cartels? How
much into the purveyors of entertainment? And how much into support for the growth of
terrorism?
In many ways there is too much knowledge of the wrong kind driving our world, yet at the
same time there is not enough knowledge of the right kind challenging it positively. And
propaganda feeds on the gap between the two. The challenge goes far beyond simple solutions
and brave slogans, and will be with us for a long time, as cultures change only slowly while
appetites grow with explosive speed. And there is little we can do to control either.
I don’t think it is controversial to state that learning, knowledge and education are the basis
for the improved state of living we of the West enjoy today. Nor do I believe any reasonable
person will argue that we do not live in a very significantly improved state. Some might argue
against both, but some today argue anything and everything emotionally, and in my opinion
without reason – or more likely without knowledge, since most of those have no real concept of
how things were in earlier times – or even how things are in other parts of the world.
So on to learning, knowledge and education. First I would suggest they are not synonymous –
or even necessarily complementary. Learning is gaining knowledge and education defines the
process, but learning what? And since much knowledge is gained from doing and not learning
through formal education, the process is not always the same. And finally the process of
education at too many levels has become more certification than real learning or gaining of
knowledge. So when we kick this political football around we go way beyond, or more
appropriately fall far short of the theoretical meaning we purport to address.
Years ago Professor Alan Bloom lamented that education had been transformed from an
environment that encouraged thinking and learning about life to career preparation, meaning
particularly that history, literature and philosophy were out of favor. Certainly that has only
accelerated as career knowledge requirements have increased. But today about twenty percent
of people between the ages of 18 and 24 claim to have never read a book for pleasure, but watch
over 2 hours of television a day. The inevitable result of that has to be superficial knowledge at
best. So what? would likely be the normal reaction, and therein lies what I consider the problem:
lack of respect for learning other than that which is needed to do one’s job – and earn a
promotion.
Furthermore I would suggest that much of what is endured in order to gain employment is
more motivated toward completing what is required to become certified (high school diploma)
than learning much of anything, an attitude that is significantly influencing the process of
education. The perception, milked by, if not created by the media and politicians, is that the
process is broken and must be fixed. Perhaps, although not across the board, but not for the
reasons the media and politicians would have us believe - at least not at its roots.
They would have us believe the root of the problem lies with the administrators of the
process: teachers, administrators, teacher’s unions and the like because they can take action,
or at least urge action, to correct that which is tangible; they have identified an enemy to defeat.
Much easier that than to take on deteriorating cultural attitudes, and one must sympathize; how
do you arrest a sliding culture?
There are manifest signs of sliding, more than can be dealt with here satisfactorily, but they
can be rolled into respect, responsibility and motivation. Many kids and parents are united in
their interest in gaining the ends (diploma, grade points, degrees) but largely indifferent to the
means (studying, homework). I use the term entitlement often and believe it is one of the root
causes: many kids and parents believe they are entitled to the ends and should not have their
lives cluttered with the means – particularly means for which they see no viable purpose. Family
deterioration (50% divorce rate) and a relatively universal slackening of discipline of course are
also irrefutable root causes.
No viable purpose. Is that an exaggeration? Perhaps it is, but there is indication that too
many parents and students have little respect for knowledge beyond fundamentals for jobs. How
many times does one hear, I’ll never use that, or what use is it to know about dead white men and
what they did or did not accomplish? Taking their side, much of what they learn may be other
than what is needed for their jobs. History? Geography? Language? Even Math and English
beyond fundamental levels for those not in professions such as engineering, science and
medicine that obviously require them. What they need today, it seems, are the tools equipping
them for sales, and those are somewhat nebulous. There really seems to be little real respect
for what used to be the foundations of learning in a free society, and little understanding, beyond
the obvious basics, of why they should be burdened with them.
When one addresses the deeper responsibilities of a free society and a form of government
that requires citizen participation one sees eyes glaze over. Most people really don’t believe they
have much to contribute to such a society since it has been largely taken over by “them”. And
who are them? One could try and argue the them are those that bother to educate themselves,
but even that is received doubtfully by all but the well placed few. We mostly have ceased
believing that rags to riches is any longer possible, so why try? Oh, unless it is in entertainment,
and who needs education for that?
I think there is another driver, however, and that is a rapidly changing culture, a culture that
doesn’t see things as Americans did in the past, a culture that no longer respects knowledge and
learning – and therefore education. In 1970 less than one in twenty in our population were
foreign born; in 2006 it was one in eight and 10-12 million out of a total of 300 million arrived
illegally. Much of that can be traced to the change in immigration policy in the seventies. But
from an education point of view 17% of all youth were Hispanic at the end of the last century, but
40% of the high school drop outs were Hispanic. Blacks comprised 11% but that statistic was
watered down by the high number of black teenagers that had been incarcerated; the mantra of
studying being equated to “acting white” within what has become known as black culture is
familiar enough.
But without going too deeply into that, what is happening to fix our broken education? Mostly,
I would contend, it is to paper over the problems to make it look good. Look good to whom? To
voters for one, but internationally for another. Our test rankings in math and science compared
to many others in the world have dropped, so the government has edicted that results improve or
schools will be penalized. And since many students have difficulty with math and science (that
are tested internationally), and don’t feel they even need that to which they have already been
exposed, what should we do? Add increased complexity math and science courses to the
curricula. And this when nearing ten percent of the total enrollment in our schools are students
with limited English capability?
It has become popular to smirk at the decline of the most powerful economy in the world, an
economy partially made that way by exceptional educational opportunities. Our own intellectuals
lead in the smirking derision, but international stalwarts such as Chavez of Venezuela and
Amadinajad of Iran pile on gleefully. And of course we believe it as it is fed to us through our
entertainment surfeited channels of propaganda, without accepting any responsibility.
As world challenges increase; as they must with growing population, resource depletion and
competition, and wide gaps among nations and people; the difficulties in dealing with them will as
well. And those difficulties will require more and more knowledge and understanding – of the
problems and the world that is generating them. One of the widest gaps (after income) in the
world is in education, and of course there is very strong correlation between income and
education at a national level.
But therein lies yet another problem, a problem that spans both sides of the argument. We
believe unquestioningly that increased education leads to increased income and ultimately it can
statistically be proven so. But there is a time in between, a time when people who have received
education are not afforded the opportunity to use it – to generate more income. In such cases
there is tendency of the educated but underemployed to seek other outlets. Most terrorist
leaders in the world are educated men and a little knowledge truly can be a dangerous thing if
properly focused and financed, as it seems to be today.
So as we tolerate student indifference while punishing the process we no longer allow to be
disciplined, and demand more complex education that students are convinced they don’t need
(and many don’t, except as a hiring discriminator) many developing countries churn them out as
fast as they can though they have no place for them to go, paying a price of disorder. One cannot
help but get the impression that everything is progressing way too fast for the wrong reasons, or
at least without gaining the balance needed to support it all. And of course the media sits back
and snipes, without offering alternatives.
Is it really learning, knowledge and education we seek or is just money and power? That is
not a flippant question; for many in the world money means a reasonable existence, not vast
riches. American kids dream of getting rich; developing nations’ kids are more likely to just want
to survive – until they gain that plateau that yields a better view of the possibilities. And world
communications, with that essential level of education, provides exactly that plateau. If learning,
knowledge and education are perceived as the means, they certainly are not perceived as the
end and the dilemma is apparent, even though controlling it is no longer possible. In one place,
America, it is the core of decline; in others, many developing nations, it is the core of discontent
leading to disorder. But is it really? Is education, or lack of it, the problem? Or have we been left
behind again, fighting yesterday’s battle? How much education went into the drug cartels? How
much into the purveyors of entertainment? And how much into support for the growth of
terrorism?
In many ways there is too much knowledge of the wrong kind driving our world, yet at the
same time there is not enough knowledge of the right kind challenging it positively. And
propaganda feeds on the gap between the two. The challenge goes far beyond simple solutions
and brave slogans, and will be with us for a long time, as cultures change only slowly while
appetites grow with explosive speed. And there is little we can do to control either.