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The answer depends on one's definition of education, end there is no single
definition. In the widest sense even the most primitive societies begin to
prepare children for living from birth as a necessity for survival So do animals
and birds. Formal education is based on literacy, in both East and West, that of
China dating back to 165 B.C. when civil service examinations were instituted. Today one school of thought would define education as the
means of living a civilized life, which in turn depends on the acquisition of culture.
Culture
implies a knowledge of the graceful and artistic things of life, and in Europe at any rate
depends on no more than a knowledge of Greek and Latin, modern European languages
being merely an optional extra. Many well-known schools in the West still lay a powerful
emphasis on the classical languages as the best means of teaching the young to think properly.
The problem with the first paragraph is that society does not consist of wealthy
dilettantes. Some
knowledge of science is essential to us all because the march of scientific discovery largely
dictates modern living both personal and social. There are, of course, still pockets of privilege
everywhere in which the rich can take advantage of the knowledge, skill and hard work of
others, but today most countries are essentially meritocracies. If the purpose of education is
to succeed in life as well as to enjoy it, some knowledge of science, however superficial, is
essential. Nowadays in the free world, the opportunity to gain specialized education in
order to succeed is regarded as a basic human right.
'Ars pro arte' is no longer a valid concept. We live in a scientific world. We cannot be
safe in a modern home without a basic understanding of electricity. Children must be
shielded from dangerous drugs. We need to know basic arithmetic if we are to deal with
money, banking, even family economics. We need to know a little chemistry and biology if
we are to remain healthy and fit.
However the topic question implies much more than this, especially for the young
person today. In a world which daily grows less remote and more interdependent due to
satellite communications, jet travel and the ubiquitous computer, boys and girls should
receive instruction in them all and be encouraged to specialize in one of these subjects,
because job opportunities are increasingly dependent on subjects such as electronics and
computer science. In Europe the emphasis has already shifted away from the heavy engineering and artisan industries. Coalminers, steel-workers and ship-builders are the dinosaurs
of 1984. The growth industries of today depend completely on scientific specialization.
Early Chinese education included the martial arts, necessary accomplishments for those
above peasant status. Modern martial arts certainly have not destroyed the need for personal
bravery in the soldier but effective military action today depends more on the technology
which a country can buy, and on the specialized knowledge required for the use of the
modern weapons of sea, land and air. The basis of any increase in a country's gross national
product is trade. Today the marketing of sophisticated goods abroad is a main growth
industry. You cannot begin to work in this field without at least a reasonable knowledge
of the goods you are promoting. Neither, if you are a politician can you even understand
many of the issues dealt with in government without a degree of specialized knowledge in
those fields.
Today the emphasis has shifted from pure to applied science. It might be argued that
men like Archimedes, Isaac Newton and Einstein were among the most educated people
who ever lived. The frontiers which they established are still being pushed back. Yet modern
interest lies less in discovering new laws than in the development of the old ones; modern
education, for the majority, implies specialization in an established field.
Will science finally eliminate the divisive elements in human nature by encouraging
understanding and co-operation, for this is surely one of the aims of educations ? So far
there are few signs that it will. The truth seems to be that science has its own momentum,
and the most that can be said is that the educated person should at least know what is going
on in the world.
A knowledge of science is necessary if humanity is to be in a position to resist some of
its worse results. Among these may be included nuclear and chemical warfare, and some
of the frightening developments in genetic engineering. Science is neutral. Everything
depends on its use or misuse. It neither explains nor contradicts religion. It is man's servant,
not its master. |
