Education, Democracy, and Social Conflict

Abstract

Reading The Paideia Proposal, one gets a sense of déjà vu. Almost three generations after John Dewey, we are reminded once more that education and learning are the qualities which separate humans from other creatures. In the Proposal, formal education is the center of our social universe. Without it, we starve spiritually, and our society decays. With its energy, we are democratic, collectivelycreative, productive, and even moral. We are transformed from an emotional, irrational mob to a higher form of political actors.