Education and Democracy
write an essay that provides some insight for the following broad question: “Is the education of the population a conflict of interest for a state’s survival?” – This question can be paraphrased or rephrased to be more on topic in view of the direction the essay takes. Here are some thoughts.
At the heart of this there’s a fundamental question of what education is for and what makes a just or moral society. Also is the question – very fundamental – does education provide individual empowerment, and if so, would an empowered individual accept any form of government other than a pure democracy. What aspects of education empower the individual – i.e. science education brings about scientific enlightenment, but philosophy/history/critical analysis may bring about individualistic ideas and aspirations.
What different social theories exist about democratic and radical democratic states exist? What about non-democratic states? Would the longevity of say a monarchy depend on their subjects NOT developing individual enlightenment? Did education provide that in the first place, and if so, would it need to be suppressed? This section should be prominent.
Most writing about education and democracy argues that most democratic states are not – see some modern books like the education of radical democracy by Amsler or Radical education in Latin America by Motta and Cole. Education is needed for the currently undemocratic world to develop PROPER democracies, unlike many current radical “democracies” with unequal and unjust societies.
The essay should conclude with a few remarks about the question based on the research done. Hopefully the answers are that “education” can be defined in many lights, and it would be difficult to conclude which form is better, while most forms tend to serve some kind of political agenda within a state. While education may not be a direct conflict of interest, it is indeed steered in specific directions and away from others.