It seems fitting to start our discussion with the fundamental question of what education is and what purpose(s) it should serve. This simple question has been discussed and debated for at least 2000 years, since Aristotle first proposed the very idea of a democratic, state run, education delivering 'one and the same for all'. The debate continues to this day and is given renewed meaning and relevance as each generation seeks to define themselves in relation to the world, reach for a common good and endeavour to overcome the economic, political, technological and environmental challenges of our time.
In beginning to unravel this complex subject, I begin with the observation that education as I have just described it involves both an individual and collective purpose. Individual ends are often revealed in the language we use to talk about those that we deem to be educated. We may regard them as professionals and grant them accordingly with certain rewards and status, or we may think of them as enlightened; able to give advice or guidance to others within a defined field. Less formally, the idea of being educated may infer an imagined transition to an abstract and socially constructed state of maturity such as graduate or indeed student. In all such cases, there is an implied, though often loosely defined, transformation in the individual as a consequence of their engagement in a system of formal education. That transformation can be understood as being some combination of cognitive (acquisition of knowledge), attitudinal (change in beliefs, values and dispositions), social (belonging to some knowledge or practice community) or practical ends (developing a skill set) depending on the nature of their preparation.
The collective purposes of education have already been implied here too. If we are to harness our collective potential to address broader challenges and improve our present conditions, future opportunities and potential for growth then it seems self evident that we must act collectively and purposefully in the pursuit of such shared aims. Education is consequently always political and education in a democracy must be understood in part as serving political purposes and aims. If individual enlightenment was the primary and sole objective of education then we would not need a societal system for educating the young and most likely we would be far less invested in its composition, delivery and perceived effectiveness in meeting predefined ends.
However, It should be noted that the individual and collective purposes of education are not distinct, as I have presented them here, but indeed deeply intertwined and it is in this relationship that we often encounter some of the most persistent debates around the purposes of education: indoctrination of the young or a path to emancipation?; suppression of divergent thinking and ideas or a means of enlightenment?; fostering democratic participation or reproducing dominant power structures that sustain the marginalization and oppression of individuals and minority groups?; Personal growth or economic growth?; Creativity or productivity?; Citizenship or individualism?
These questions remain so persistent because they are fundamental to what education is, who it is for, what it aims to achieve and by what means. However, they are also rooted in deeper philosophical questions about knowledge, knowing, being, belonging and becoming. It is these issues that we will seek to explore in this series by examining the perspectives from philosophy from both historical and contemporary contributors to the field.