As an educator -- a professor of philosophy, specifically -- I'm a huge proponent of education. However, I'm very skeptical of the idea that a good education results in a more rational or ethical populace. It's been a while, so I'd have trouble with a citation at the moment, but I recall reading something years ago that indicated that education levels don't actually correspond to whether people believe in weird stuff. If anything, education often gives people the tools to rationalize what they want to believe and criticize others for different views.
As an example, I teach an introductory class is philosophical ethics. We spend time at the head of the semester talking about philosophical methods, which in that class are simply various forms of logic -- yes, fallacies, but so much more than that (e.g., how to create deductively sound arguments). Time after time for over two decades, I have seen students learn and be able to apply it all perfectly as long as they are doing so to arguments that are not their own. Then suddenly, once they give their own arguments, it all just goes out the window. It doesn't even change anything if this is pointed out to them by their fellow students in discussions, it just doesn't make a dent most of the time.
Unfortunately, I think it comes down to human nature and psychology, rather than intelligence or education. The brain is a belief-preserving engine (stupid, stupid brain). We all want to believe what we believe, and we'll fight tooth and nail to keep believing it. Ultimately, I can educate students on good logical methods, but they have to make a choice that those things actually matter. I can (and do) try my best to talk about why it matters, but I can't (and shouldn't) force them to make that choice.
On a last note, I can't help but feel bad when people claim that I and my colleagues are indoctrinating the youth. Almost every professor I've ever worked with tries their damndest to help students think for themselves, and yet we're constantly accused of the opposite. It's absolutely devastating to my morale, and makes me wonder sometimes if I'm just a fool for even trying. I hope people will take into account that educators are real human beings with feelings, and not some weird 2D cartoon villains.
Thanks for reading.
As an example, I teach an introductory class is philosophical ethics. We spend time at the head of the semester talking about philosophical methods, which in that class are simply various forms of logic -- yes, fallacies, but so much more than that (e.g., how to create deductively sound arguments). Time after time for over two decades, I have seen students learn and be able to apply it all perfectly as long as they are doing so to arguments that are not their own. Then suddenly, once they give their own arguments, it all just goes out the window. It doesn't even change anything if this is pointed out to them by their fellow students in discussions, it just doesn't make a dent most of the time.
Unfortunately, I think it comes down to human nature and psychology, rather than intelligence or education. The brain is a belief-preserving engine (stupid, stupid brain). We all want to believe what we believe, and we'll fight tooth and nail to keep believing it. Ultimately, I can educate students on good logical methods, but they have to make a choice that those things actually matter. I can (and do) try my best to talk about why it matters, but I can't (and shouldn't) force them to make that choice.
On a last note, I can't help but feel bad when people claim that I and my colleagues are indoctrinating the youth. Almost every professor I've ever worked with tries their damndest to help students think for themselves, and yet we're constantly accused of the opposite. It's absolutely devastating to my morale, and makes me wonder sometimes if I'm just a fool for even trying. I hope people will take into account that educators are real human beings with feelings, and not some weird 2D cartoon villains.
Thanks for reading.
