Humanist consumer narrative and How

it Shapes University Education Today

By

Daniel Stow

363467

Prof. M. Goheen

IDIS

18 Feb. 2010
 Each individual in the world has a story which functions like spectacles

enabling a view and approach towards different events in the world. The story

(worldview) a person has, determines the way he or she will shape their life. In the

past 200 years, the humanist approach has become more dominant in society. It has

had many influences, and brought many about changes in institutions. One area of

great change has been in education, which has evolved alongside the growth in

humanist consumer’s worldview.

Humanist consumerism has become the dominant story and lifestyle of

western society. The modern worldview of modernism is increasingly believes that

through science and the development mankind it can dominate over nature. This

ideology has replaced the alternative story that is rooted in the Christian Bible, the

belief in creation and the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. Turning away from

biblical scripture, society formed a new purpose for life. The new purpose came in

the form of humanist consumerism, the philosophy that through the consumption of

goods and knowledge, the human race will have a purpose and be satisfied.

It can be argued that consumerism is the predominate religion of the late

twentieth century. People believe that the system holds true and that through

success they will gain fulfillment and gain happiness. The phrase ‘the ends justify

the mean’ is a product of a society that revolves around the individual. The seed of

consumer society comes from the enlightenment, the scientific revolution and the

industrial revolution.

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 Our culture today has been given meaning through this concept of

consumerism. For the most part people have bought into the idea of consumerism

and capitalism, as the way society should be run. It goes as far as people believing

this is only system that should exist. The problem is that it tends to leave the poor,

poor and enriches the rich in the process. The core concept that is imbedded in

consumerism is the increasing consumption of more products and services. With the

belief that everything in the world is a product or service that can be bought people

desire them. As a result the consumer has unlimited amount of wants and perceived

needs. The ironic thing is that no matter how much you consume the idea of

consumerism does not hold true.

During the Enlightenment era the general public began to believe in the

theory of faith through progress. Progress can be defined in terms of economic

growth, scientific and technological growth. People began to want material

prosperity more they were taught as the way of life instead of the spiritual way of

life. This is a predecessor for greater freedom to enjoy the possession that people

began to accumulate or strive for. Science became the key for a better future.

Richard Tarba wrote, “It was science and reason, not religion and belief, which

propelled progress”. Christians no longer were the driving force in society after the

enlightenment period and became increasingly marginalized in society. Science,

instead of religion became key for a better future and progress was mostly

identified as with economic growth.

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 The problems with the continuous focus on the economy becoming more

efficient and on output of goods lead to over production. Textile mill got the stage

during the industrial revolution because it was possible to fulfill the demand in 6

months. Shoe factories only needed 14% of their production capacity. People had to

be educated and encouraged to consume more to sustain the new efficiency in

production. As life styles changed this in turn became another factor of modern

consumerism influenced education to also change and become, as we know it today.

Much that is taught in education to day reinforces this lifestyle of increased

production and consumerism.

Advertising is a form of education that keeps the principles of consumerism

alive. The advertising goal is to inspire people to have new wants; wants they did

not know existed beforehand. Through advertizing there is an experience associated

with an image. For example ‘when a new car cause peoples to turn their heads to

look at the person in the ad,’ this fuels the selfish desire to be greater than everyone

and be the centre of attention. Thus, an experience is what is being sold more than

the actual product itself. However, the consumption of goods due to the constant

bombardment of advertisements whether on the radio, TV or in print eventually

leads to dissatisfaction with the promise. As such society is continuously seeking

fulfillment as it is in a state of perpetual dissatisfaction

The Christian doctrine sees that true consumerism is a form of idolatry. The

consumer’s goal in life is to gain more possessions. With this the reason for living

drifts away from God. The consumer is obsessed with the acts of acquiring more.

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Christians are asked to put God first in life, and to live as the incarnation of Jesus

Christ. Consumerism is based on excessive consumption, which is also a threat to

the environment. This is contrary to man’s role as caretaker of the Earth.

In the first 20 years of life we are taught the ways and values of the world.

Education is present to help integrate youth into communities and teach them life

values and the laws of society. Through education that a person receives their story

and they are shaped by it. A person’s story (worldview) provides with an

understanding, and helps them choose a path to achieve direction and stability for

their perspective. There are two stories to choose from the Biblical story and

humanistic story. The humanistic story is one of evolution and development through

sciences. The other story is Biblical, and presents man with a set of values and

objective give value to life through God.

The purpose of education from a humanist point of view is to pass on a solid

body of universal scientific education. A humanistic vision on the other hand is to

dominate nature by the acquisition of knowledge and technology through science

and reasoning. One of the main goals in education is to build rational graduates who

believe happiness will be found through freedom, justice, truth and material

prosperity. Only with this understanding, will it be possible to survive in modern

society, where the trinity is economic utility, consumerism and technology. Scientific

reason, society’s new faith, has removed the church from the centre of reason and

education.

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 Historically, education can be seen as the vehicle by which modernity’s

‘grand narrative,’ the Enlightenment ideal of critical reason, individual

freedom, progress and benevolent change, are substantiated and realized

(Brian Walsh)

This has been the theory behind education and its goals of education for the last

hundred of years. Society has encouraged progress for personal gains through

science and technology. People go to university so that they may be able to invent or

use these scientific and technological inventions for personal benefits. The more

people become dissatisfied by material goals and a life with this as its sole purpose,

the more this dream fades. Education is perceived by most as a way to gain a place

in a job you may desire. When people accomplish the goal in life, wealth, there is a

higher rate of suicide due to the loss of purpose and happiness.

As a student before Trinity Western University I studied business at a public

university, University of British Columbia. This experience makes it easier to relate

to these two different approaches.

In our modern society the power and role of business has increased as a

result of the industrial revolution and globalization. Firms are now able to

subcontract out their labour and production to foreign countries. Today companies

are in a position today where they can take advantage of the poorest and least

educated people worldwide (third world). People in third world countries require a

lot less; money can to do almost any kind of work and to do it as well. Companies are

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now taking full advantage of this strategy, profit= money= buy more

stuff=happiness. This ideology is taught as an acceptable way of doing business in

public universities. This is the underlying philosophy evident in the teaching of

public universities. A manager is told to do whatever it takes to reduce costs and

improve efficiency.

In Christian Universities, the emphasis is to embody the Lord in the activities

that are taught. The Bible depicts how easily business can be distorted so that it

becomes oppressive and idolatrous. Business should facilitate the needs and

commodities exchanged are done in a loving manner and service to one’s neighbor

and community. This incorporates the idea that stakeholders, community,

environment, shareholders, investors, are properly look after and not taken

advantage of for great profits for a certain few individuals. Life is at crossroad for

Christian people who are against the prevalent worldview taught at most

universities and other institutions.

Never the less there are downsides to certain approaches Christians take in

their pursuit of a Christian education. Some people use Christian education as a

means of separating themselves from the rest of the world. At its most extreme, this

is home school where a child does not participate in activities outside the closed

society of the church. We are not called to establish closed Christian communities in

the world, but to be missionaries and spread to word to unbelievers. If the Christian

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educational system is closed, it is not a valid system as it fails to meet a mission

statement.

The Bible has many references stating that Christian must not be separate

from the world. Creating two different communities is not the message of the Bible;

Christians are to be witnesses to the world. John talks about this issue on a number

of occasions. He states that we are not to be of the world; If we are of the world, the

world will love us, as there is no different to separate ourselves. He also makes it

clear that Christians are not to be of the world and should stand out and show they

have different values, not consumerism adopted by most people. To continuing with

John’s message has James explicitly reveals that being part of the world and

adopting it teaching and way of life is against the will God and thus goes against him.

John 15:19 

19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because
you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world
hates you.

James 4:4
4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is
enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes
himself an enemy of God

John 17:14
14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they
are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

In the past couple of hundred years the church has made a great mistake with their

rigid approach to the sciences. The church has been inflexible and unwilling to

change its views of science and accept the knowledge that science has to offer about

the world. This has led to a chasm, which is forever widening between the church

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and science. Many of the enlightenment thinker thought that the oppressive political

and social structure prevalent in Europe in their time came from the Church, instead

of human nature. This understanding led to people looking to science and reason for

provides meaning and fulfillment, and these soon replaced the church.

Consumerism grew out of the understanding that through knowledge and science

we can find meaning. With technology continually changing, wants are ever

increasing. A job is intern needed to acquire the assets we desired. To get the job a

person must go through the educational system, usually a university or technical

school. Although it was believed by the enlightenment thinkers that the world

would be propelled towards a better place through science, in truth this has led only

to mass consumption and diseased society.