The False Principle of Our Education, Essay Example

Summarize Stirner’s most important understanding—his Big Idea. What are its implications for the History of Social Thought?

According to Stirner’s essay, the past system of learning among humans basically determined how young children become specifically interested on things that their parents do. Considerably, this involves a whole deal of passing along the parents’ skills on to the children thus continuing a family culture that sustains the society’s functioning organization. However, as a result to this system of teaching, people, families in particular were considered masters of their own craft and their own skills. Individuals following the footsteps of their ancestors were able to find a proper place in the society to function as an asset towards success. However, the question of personal satisfaction arises along with such arranged situations among people who simply follow through an ancestral process of personal and professional development.

Learning, including its process, should be decided upon by the learner. This is what realists have suggested as the human society enters a new era of knowledge-development. Instead of simply valuing the concept of personal functionality, realists also take into account the need to determine the concept of satisfaction which has been observed through time to have a direct correlation to better performance. Human satisfaction is measured through the capacity of one to realize his own dream through placing a definite amount of effort into the said desire of acquiring personal success. Such realization leads a person to a belief that he has already done all that he could to make sure that he is able to function accordingly with the skills and talents he posses. Most likely, with such satisfaction comes a distinct realization of achievement that bring one the essence of self respect and self belief.

This satisfaction cannot merely come from simply following another’s step towards successful living. One needs to know what he wants and what he can contribute to the world through acquiring the fulfillment of such desire. Through pointing out this specific foundation of modern education, Stirner is able to bring into the minds of his audience the concept of evolution that occurred in relation to the development of the History of Social Thought in relation to the development of human civilization.

Locate Stirner’s place in the History of Social Thought in the usual manner.

In his essay, Stirner insists that the concept of determining the importance of formal education coming from academic institutions spurred out from the idea of uniformity. True, realists entail to give the freedom each person needs to be able to identify well with his goals and his dreams. Nevertheless, they also are advocates of structured learning. From this point, the thought over setting a common ground of learning between human individuals from all walks of life has become the primary foundation to which modern education is based upon.

It is believed through this social thought that even though humans have specific and determinable talents they might be able to share to the world, they still need guidance especially if they aim to master such skill. Being a good performer in one’s own field of interest requires additional knowledge apart from what has already been known and learned by a person based on experience and personal understanding of intellectual value needed to refine the skills he may have.

Raw talent need to be refurnished for it to become a tool for success. Considerably, it is through formal education that raw talent is refined and the person possessing it is given the proper direction as to how he or she should use such talent to provide him better options of determining his personal worth and the value he has towards defining his society’s success.

Imagine Stirner meets the subject of your research project. How would that go?

Perhaps he would say that education today is somewhat different to what he has envisioned. Given the fact that he champions directive formal teaching, he might agree to the idea that the creation of institutions is necessary. Nevertheless, with the many limitations that keep some students away from schools and other learning institutions, he might agree on the practical application of the alternative ways of learning, something that may come from non-institutionalized educational systems that goes back to the ‘home’ as the most basic source of knowledge among human individuals at present.

Relating the concept of the past and the present, education today might be considered by Stirner to be falling into the category of being empty. This could be reasoned out from the fact that most students today lack the right motivation to continue with their studies. They are specifically directed to follow rules that are again keeping them within the limitations of the curriculum. The value of educational freedom among students is yet again lost along the track of developing as a nation. Educational superintendents find it much easier to deal with a diversified number of student population through setting a specific guideline, a pattern of learning that might not be that appealing to every single learner.

With such description of the current systems of education, Stirner might think twice in pursuing his argument towards effective free learning process. Education, being formalized in nature, has become more of a dragging element to some learners than a stepping stone, especially for those who have specifically strong talents that cannot be honed within the four walls of the classroom alone.

Consider Sigmund Freud’s and Frederick Douglas’ potential views of Max Stirner. What do you think they would make of him? What might he say in response?

Sovereignty comes from one’s realization of his own capacities and strengths as an individual. Notably, many individuals fail to realize this fact. If Freud and Douglas was to be asked about such concept of educational thinking, they might respond to the matter in a much definite condition that puts into account the need of people to become more determined in finding a way to work through the twists and turns of life to achieve their dreams. Stirner might respond in agreement to such idea. The free mind is created with the existence of a free process. A person cannot fully realize his being nor can he explore his capacities if he is not given the chance to be free, to embrace whatever life has to offer him. As personal exploration is considered by Stirner as the basic foundation of self realization, he would particularly suggest the concept of thinking and acting freely upon attaining one’s personal desire for success. While such attitude might not be that easy to hone, especially in the middle of personally developing under a structured society, it is assumed to be a great achievement for one to finally understand what he wants and what he can do to make sure that such desire is given life and ones’ being is given a specifically important meaning that contributes to the development of everyone else in the society.