It is typical of our time that the more doubtful we are about the value of philosophy, the more certain we are about the value of education. That is to say, the more doubtful we are about whether we have any truth, the more certain we are (apparently) that we can teach it to our children. (Chesterton, Illustrated London News 1-12-07)
Chesterton was always able to unmask the ugly phantom-face of an absurdity. Sadly, what he points out here in his Illustrated London News column of January, 1907 remains one of the great ironies of our own time: the very people who assert that the truth is relative are at one and the same time great champions of the cause of education. There is no truth, but we mustn’t fail to teach it to our children.
As the school year begins anew, let us be mindful of our great responsibility to affirm the truth strongly. "That is the one eternal education; to be sure enough that something is true that you dare to tell it to a child." (Chesterton, What’s Wrong with the World)
Dan,
Great post!
Comment by David Berthiaume — 9/8/2007 @ 1:52 am
The other irony to this absurdity is that the paragons of these educational systems also don’t use the intellect, but rather their position of power, to uphold their systems.
So they don’t believe in truth and don’t use their intellect either. It seems, for them, like the will to power is the means and the end.
Comment by Justin — 9/9/2007 @ 10:07 am