Essay On The Purpose Of Education

In this paper I am explaining how education and our current school systems are not doing a good job of teaching people what is really important in life. I will do this by, first, sharing the views of education of the philosophers Martin Luther King Jr. and Socrates, and how Socrates would view King’s work. Secondly, I will deduct how Plato and King would feel about the education being taught today and lastly, I am going to share my own experiences and thoughts about the main purpose of education today. In King’s “The Purpose of Education,” King is trying to explain to people that when it comes to being educated, intelligence isn’t enough. He begins by speaking about how college men basically feel that college is only intended to help them plan out their own future careers and lives. To …show more content…
Socrates taught in a way that consisted of inquiry and discussion between people in a way that encouraged critical thinking. This teaching practice is now known as the Socratic method. Socrates once said, “Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.” This quote speaks to motivate people to be original and ingrains in them a desire for truth. Socrates and King both seem to be suggesting that education is more than just learning something, it is about applying it in a way that is useful to someone and/or his or her community. A lot of the issues that King raises in “The Purpose of Education” are things that Socrates has talked about in his teachings. King and Socrates obviously have very similar opinions on education and other societal beliefs as seen in the previous two paragraphs. So how would Socrates approach the specific issues raised by King in his article. The two main issues that stuck out to me were King’s concern about saving man from the “morass of propaganda” and educating in a way that is teaching more than just intelligence, but also character and