By: Robert Beaudine
Prefatory Remarks: The founder of modern astronomy, Nicolaus Copernicus, waited until his last year of life to publish his controversial heliocentric theory of the universe. His contemporaries had grown up with a magical world-view of the universe based on myths, not science. He knew it would be hard for the masses to radically change their thinking and their view of the world, and he wanted to avoid the expected public scorn of his theories. He also knew, if he published, he would have lived in continual danger with the ecclesiastical authorities. I decided decades ago that I would not be affected by public scorn of my world-view, but threats from the modern Inquisition I take seriously.
————
My Pedagogical Creed
I am launching my career as a tutor of history and philosophy, which are the two greatest branches of knowledge, according to classical wisdom.
According to popular theories on education, history and philosophy are minor branches of knowledge. Philosophy is considered insignificant and unnecessary, while history is largely neglected, terribly taught, and rarely valued.
Yet, when you study history and begin to study the writings of our nation’s founders, you will discover that long ago, there was a much nobler conception of education, with history and philosophy at the forefront of knowledge.
Back then, the definition of philosophy was much broader and included theology and the natural sciences. Theology, I believe, is the greatest branch of knowledge, but I prefer the traditional definition of education and the older definition of philosophy. Philosophy is the study of wisdom, or more correctly, the love of wisdom. Combined with history, they are the cornerstones of an enlightened educational system.
In the old days, education began with literacy, typically taught by parents. Its early foundation began when the skills of language, logic, and rhetoric developed, skills that were refined over years of study and further development. Eventually, language and logic became the tools that unlocked the storehouse of knowledge when history and philosophy were added to the curriculum, which rapidly fueled future intellectual growth. Back then, school children studied history and philosophy at an early age.
Those who pursued education early in life usually pursued education throughout their lives. The greatest generation, those who were educated during the birth of our nation, always pursued lifelong learning and always expanded their understanding, which is apparent in their writings.
In the old days, every college graduate pursued independent studies throughout their lives, as education was a lifelong process. When their formal education ended, their education had barely begun.
Today, Americans believe education is necessary for children, but not adults, who were always glad when education ended. They had learned enough and didn’t need any more education. So, most Americans end their education early in life, which limits their intellectual growth for the rest of their lives.
Contrary to popular opinion, traditional education was a far superior system than modern education, and the evidence is easy to verify, especially when you study the history of education and all the many reforms in education over the last century.
For one, just read the book titles that housed the libraries in the homes of our founders. These titles reveal an extraordinary depth of knowledge, as our founders, inspired by history and philosophy, used language, logic, and rhetoric in pamphlets, speeches, and epic debates to throw off the yoke of tyranny, words and ideas that first incited and then required warfare to create a new nation under a new republic. (Words matter, and ideas have changed the destinies of their nations.)
These book titles, as well as all the voluminous writings by our founders, reveal our ignorance and lack of vital knowledge. (Perhaps our destiny looks bleak, but not necessarily.)
My real education BEGAN after college, when I finally began to study history and philosophy. I eventually learned one vital truth over a decade ago, that unfortunately, we have raised the most uneducated citizenry in the history of our great Republic.
My claim contradicts the popular opinion that we are the most educated people of all time, which is a common belief reinforced in the media and the educational establishment, in conjunction with decades of public relations campaigns, which is an industry built on propaganda.
Only those who understand education can make any claim that Americans are uneducated, and only those who have studied the history of education can compare today’s system with those of other systems of education, including those in the past.
Modern scholars rarely define education publicly. Perhaps, education cannot be defined because education is always changing and evolving for the better, or so the scholars claim.
These scholars in education are specialists trained in educational psychology, and they have ruled the educational establishment for over a century. It is a new field that began in the late 19th Century, rose in prominence in the early 20th Century, and eventually usurped the traditional leadership of modern education.
Psychologists use a lot of jargon to push the boundaries for more changes and always end with an emotional plea, something like, “to save our children with better education,” while the definition of education gets lost by design, and the term gets taken for granted without any critical analysis.
Surprisingly, or not, educational psychologists often define education in explicit terms but only in their scholarly dissertations. Other scholars who read their works learn the real definition, but the public prefers fiction and best sellers rather than scholarly works and difficult thinking. So, the endless reforms – the crimes behind continual changes in education – remain hidden in plain sight.
Until you have studied the history of education, it is impossible to adequately define education or make any comparisons, and until education is defined, the standards of education cannot be quantified.
Who determines the standards of education? Is modern education the best system? Where’s the evidence? How can anyone understand education without understanding its history?
Why is the history of education never taught in our schools and never discussed anywhere?
There’s only one obvious explanation. The history of education was hidden to hide the facts, and thereby hide the crimes. Why else would a major institution never discuss its history?
The public never heard anything about a history of education, so it never crossed their minds that they might be missing something valuable – something fundamental like real education and valid history.
Without history and philosophy to safeguard the truth in a rational system of education, our educational psychologists were emboldened to reject the classical definition of education and eliminate vast storehouses of knowledge, which deliberately destroyed education’s once-noble purpose to enlighten and encourage intellectual growth. Modern education replaced wisdom with a system designed to limit understanding.
It was not designed for rational thinkers. Instead, it was designed to produce world citizens, mass-produced and indoctrinated with rigid opinions, swayed by slogans and emotions, collectivized in their thinking, actions, and beliefs, without tolerance for independent analysis or debate, and obedient to their hidden masters – the elite class of psychologists who rule education – which is a hallmark of fascism, which is the ultimate goal of socialism and education’s hidden agenda.
Because of its sandy foundation, modern education will continue its rapid descent into nihilism.
Yet, education is a cornerstone of our culture. It is a vital institution and must be studied to understand education and our common heritage.
Education has the ultimate responsibility to transmit the knowledge and wisdom of the older generations to the younger generations, as vested in their parents, to continually elevate our understanding, enlighten our souls, and thereby enlighten our communities and brighten our culture.
Education has the potential to either elevate humanity or limit the understanding of an entire nation. We must reject modern education, reexamine our traditional theories on education, and begin anew within our local communities to revitalize education with an older conception that long ago helped raise real heroes and the greatest generation.
