What is education for?

■ Education for work

Mezirow
■ Education for citizenship (1997)
Frames of
■ Education for flourishing (Gk. Eudemonia; Wellbeing) Reference

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Education for work

Why do we
want to be
happy?

(Born) Educated Money Happiness (Death)

Education systems for

economic return –
education = investment
…And/or… See Marples (2012: 39)
Education = money

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 Education for Work and Natural ‘giftedness’
(Plato’s ‘Republic’)
Gold
Allows for a system of –
Meticulous education in Philosophy,
those who are ‘gifted’ to
Mathematics, Literature, History;
rise to the top and those
who are not to be left to Phil Educated for life-long wisdom
find or be given their
place in the world.
osop
her
Silver -
Trained in physical fitness, strength
This is a functionalist
education system – King and spirit, moral training,
philosophical training
an education system s
whereby individuals
Guardians
Bronze -
are educated for a
particular, individual Occupational
purpose & function. training e.g. shoe
making and farming,

Workers
etc.

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Education for Citizenship

■ Nussbaum (2012) claims that education has lost its

way and that schools are no longer educating for
democratic citizenship (in the western world) and they
are educating for national and global profit.
■ Her argument: the idea of educating for profit
(economic production) does not always allow for one
to be educated in order to sustain a democratic way of
life.

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Values learners should have…

[Selected Examples] ■ Teach real and true things about

other groups (racial, religious, and
■ Develop students’ capacity to see the
sexual minorities; people with
world from the viewpoint of other
disabilities), so as to counter
people, particularly those whom their
stereotypes and the disgust that often
society tends to portray as lesser, as
goes with them
“mere objects”
■ Promote accountability by treating
■ Teach attitudes toward human
each child as a responsible agent
weakness and helplessness that
suggest […] weakness is not ■ Vigorously promote critical thinking,
shameful and the need for others not the skills and courage it requires to
unmanly; teach children not to be raise a dissenting voice
ashamed of need and incompleteness
[Nussbaum, 2012: 45-6]
but to see these as occasions for
cooperation and reciprocity

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Education for Eudemonia (Flourishing,Wellbeing)

Have I lived a Requires

good life? Virtues –
Character Traits
– To live in a
way that is good
for man…
Eudemonia: One day of
Sometimes happiness
poorly does not
translated as make for a
happiness happy life -
Aristotle

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Educating for virtues (flourishing)

EXCESS MEAN DEFICIT

RASHNESS COURAGE COWARDICE

INJUSTICE JUSTICE INJUSTICE

LICENTIOUSNESS INSENSIBILITY
(NO REGARD FOR ACCEPTED TEMPERANCE (LACK OF AWARENESS OR
RULES) CONCERN)

CORRUPTED BY PLEASURE PRUDENCE CORRUPTED BY PAIN

Aristotle describes ‘bad actions’ as devoid of a mean

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Educating for virtues
[flourishing]
■ Requires exposure to ethically challenging situations
■ Requires constant reflection of actions (e.g. the examined life, in
accordance with virtue)
■ It requires an individual to get things wrong (i.e. to perform actions
devoid of a mean)
■ One cannot be ‘forced to be good’
■ An individual has to learn how to be good and see the value for
themselves and for others
■ Requires friendship

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Now onto the Marples reading…

Marples identifies three different

‘aims’ of education:
■ Knowledge for its own sake
■ Education for work
■ Education for well-being
In small groups now discuss and
decide which of these ‘aims’ most
resonates with you and provide
justifications for your group
reasoning
Be prepared to feedback to the whole
group – thanks 
Reference List

■ Annas, J. (2003) Plato: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: UP

■ Crick, B. et al (1998) Education for Citizenship and the Teaching of Democracy in
Schools Report. HMPO.
■ Lee, D. (trans.) (1955/2007) The Republic. London: Penguin
■ Marples, R. (2012) ‘What is education for?’ in, Bailey, R. (ed) The Philosophy of
Education: An Introduction. London: Continuum Press
■ McKeon, R. (2001). The Basic Works of Aristotle. New York: The Modern Library
■ Nussbaum, M. (2010) Not for profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities. Princeton:
University Press.
■ Russell, R. (1976). Education and the Social Order. London: Unwin Books

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