Every now and again I find myself reading something and think, "Holy Goodness. This is something that helped streamline the [insert right word here] process!" And that feels really cool. That's how I felt with Milton's views in On Education, particularly because since his time, we've had the opportunity to go to school and get an education streamlined through a government process. That's something that 99% of the world's people in history haven't been able to do. It's because of required primary education that I'm blessed to experience the awesomeness of Nerdfighteria through Hank and John Green. While we may begrudge all the time we spend in school, if you look at the progress over the last couple of centuries . . . oh, I'll just let John Green tell it and get back to you all with some Milton to back it up in approximately four minutes.
"I will point ye out the right path of a virtuous and noble education—laborious indeed at the first ascent, but else so smooth, so green, so full of goodly prospect and melodious sounds on every side that the harp of Orpheus was not more charming."
"They shall be thus fraught with an universal insight into things."
Milton, John (2009-10-28). The Complete Poetry and Essential Prose of John Milton (Modern Library) (Kindle Locations 33323-33325). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
This video presents some much-needed ideas. As we've been talking more about digital studies, I've felt more and more that education is going to have to undergo a major paradigm shift if it is to keep up with the changes that digital culture is introducing into our lives. Those changes are most likely to come, though, as we're taking advantage of the opportunities that already exist for us. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteIt's appropriate both to value education and to value educational change, and I'm glad you used Milton's treatise on the topic as way of demonstrating the importance of both those values.
ReplyDelete