This blog post explores the role education plays in shaping life’s purpose and morality. Let’s reflect together on the essence and meaning of education.
We pursue education for diverse purposes: contributing to society, self-development, self-cultivation, self-fulfillment, or as a means of livelihood. To understand the purpose of education, we conducted a survey asking, “What is the purpose of our learning?” Among youth, “to get into a good university” was the most common response, while among working adults, “for self-development” was the top answer. This clearly shows that the purpose of education differs according to social and economic status. Just as the purpose of education varies so greatly for each individual, the purpose of teaching from the educator’s perspective must also be diverse.
For Pierre de la Ramêe, the purpose of education was utility. For Michel Eyquem de Montaigne, it was to acquire the wisdom to live life. And for Jan Amos Komenský, it was that education should be achieved through all facts about the world.
While the purpose of education differs among educational thinkers, two crucial facts must never be overlooked. First is what is set as the ultimate goal of education. This is because educational methods and direction vary significantly depending on the ultimate purpose. Second is the fact that education is directly connected to life. This means the purpose of education is linked to the purpose of life. Given that education is so deeply rooted in our lives, establishing a correct educational philosophy is a matter of great importance.
The connection between education and life is clearly evident in Herbart’s educational theory. As an educational philosopher, he believed our minds are formed externally through contact with the world of people and things. He also argued that education must necessarily involve multifaceted interests directly or indirectly connected to life. Herbart mentions five moral concepts encompassing both the personal and social aspects of morality. 1. The concept of inner freedom, 2. The concept of completeness or perfection, 3. The concept of good will, 4. The concept of rights, 5. The concept of equity. Through these five moral concepts, Herbart clearly defined the purpose education must achieve. Among these, the concept of ‘completeness or perfection’ is of greatest concern to teachers. This serves as a prerequisite for acquiring virtue, meaning the cultivation of both body and mind. Based on this concept, he argued that the teaching a teacher should provide is educational instruction that contributes to the formation of morality—that is, education with the ultimate goal of character formation. Furthermore, while he regarded the historical domain as the core of the curriculum, he did not undervalue subjects in the scientific domain. Herbart advocated that practical activities should also be included in the curriculum to implement holistic education.
Observing Herbart’s educational theory, I realized I share similar views on education. Herbart established his educational theory by considering both ethical and psychological perspectives, while also meticulously accounting for the characteristics of immature children. However, my educational philosophy differs from Herbart’s in several respects. First, Herbart placed the ultimate goal of education in cultivating morally upright individuals. However, I go further and see the ultimate purpose of education as enabling individuals to apply the morality formed through education to their lives and thereby contribute to society. I believe that the completion of one’s character is only achieved when students, through education, become virtuous individuals and then apply their morality to their lives to contribute to society.
From this perspective, a second point of conflict arises with Herbart’s view, stemming from which of the five moral concepts he proposed should be prioritized. Herbart placed the ‘concept of completeness or perfection’ as his primary concern. However, I consider the ‘idea of inner freedom’—the combination of knowledge about how one ought to act and the will necessary to put it into practice—to be more crucial. I also agree with Herbart’s concern that it may be unreasonable to expect immature children to achieve the comprehensive harmony of intellect and will implied by the idea of inner freedom. Nevertheless, attempts to achieve morality through holistic education based on academic subjects, without students learning how to connect those subjects to life, have limitations. Therefore, I believe helping students practice applying moral knowledge aligns better with the purpose of education. Moreover, even considering that the educational subjects are immature children, we must teach them methods to practice moral knowledge. This requires a process of reconstructing the meaning of morality to suit the children’s level.
In presenting my critical perspective based on Herbart’s educational theory, I was able to further solidify my understanding of education’s purpose. As briefly mentioned earlier, educators must clearly establish their educational objectives and guide students accordingly. However, examining our current educational system reveals practical difficulties in achieving the ultimate educational goals I have set.
What problems exist in our current educational system? First, subjects that nurture students’ emotional domains—such as music, art, and physical education—are being neglected. Conversely, only subjects emphasizing students’ intellectual domains—like Korean, English, and mathematics—are being emphasized. Furthermore, as education increasingly focuses on entrance exams, genuine academic inquiry becomes difficult, blurring the essence of education. The most significant problem is that this educational reality leads to the neglect of moral education, which is directly linked to students’ moral character.
To achieve the ultimate goal of education I have set—“applying the moral character formed through education to life and contributing to society”—the problems in the current education system must be swiftly addressed. Among these, the most urgent improvement is expanding moral education. Morality is directly connected to our lives and can be considered the optimal subject to help immature students properly form ethical principles and values.
Education has gradually improved over time, shaped by countless educational thinkers. Similarly, if we now begin to address and improve the problems evident in our current educational system, our educational goals can also be realized.
