THE PURPOSE OF EDUCATION

Platon, in his writings about education 2,400 years ago, used to say that “the whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows”. He insisted on the fact that the one who has not been educated is not able to see the light of the Sun, because remains in the dark depths of a cave. Regarding that today´s society system is partly based on the thoughts of this philosopher, he was not that misguided. However, I would go further with the final purpose of education, considering education to be extended to three levels (which are actually in permanent connection with each other): the cognitive, the practical and the personal one.

Firstly, talking about the cognitive field, we should remember that one of the main purposes of education consists of introducing new knowledges to humans, in order to make us understand how the world works (as a very general overview). This aspect of education is really important to make people develop into accomplished human beings, and to make the difference between a modern and up-to-date society and a paleolithic one. If we were not able to understand who we are, why things happen, why something is good or why not… then there would not be any room for any kind of improvement: we would rest just as another ordinary animal species. That is the reason why we could say that cognitive education is the basis of the whole social system nowadays.

However, education is not just a matter of theory, books and study. We could say that education also reaches a practical level, helping humans in the everyday reality, in plethora of situations to deal with… This could be another remarkable purpose of education. For example, if you want to get a job, it is essential that you have previously adquired some necessary skills. Focusing on professional scientifics, every single scientific or technologic breakthrough is the result of applying some knowledges  to the real life, to the practice. Thanks to practical education we can enjoy our current and well-off lifestyle (electricity, stored food, potable water, advanced technologies…).

Finally, there is another field in which education takes part: the field of personality. As far as I am concerned, the most important purpose of education has to do with this field. When humans become developed adults, our way of acting is determined by the education we have received previously. That is to say, education will help us to be aware of risks, to be polite, to think in advance and clearer, to be charitable and empathetic, to behave properly and coherently with a certain situation… In general terms, education will help to build a strong personality which will determine the distinctive features of every person.

To sum up, it is worthwhile to mention that although education must be used to introduce new knowledges to humans (and to make humans apply them in real life), education must go further with the aim of creating a balanced society, supported by some essential pillars, such as peace, goodness or common sense. As Nelson Mandela used to say: “Education is the strongest weapon you can use to change the world”.