what an educated person is in the context of American society

what an educated person is in the context of American society

Introduction

Various thinkers and philosophers on education have conceptualized who an educated person is. An educated person has typical characteristics which distinguish him/her from an indoctrinated person. Higgins, (2018) argued education is the inverse of indoctrination. Whereas indoctrination informs people what to think, tell what the truth is while closing the mind from critical thought; education, on the other hand, opens the mind and motivates the search for truth while developing the to engage critically with various ideas. Education is not solely about intellectual accomplishments. This work explores multiple propositions suggested by different scholars; in the quest to understand what an educated person is in the context of American society.

A Review of Conceptions and Theories

According to John Dewey, education is a venture which wholly reflects in cultivating reflective and critical thinking as its core purpose. Dewey (1986) believes that an educated person is one who has attained intellectual independence (autonomy) and can rely on this resource to lead a contented life in line with his/her criteria for growth both at the social and personal levels. In addition, Dewey maintains that dissemination of information is a crucial role of education and that imparting knowledge is only relevant in the context of judgment and thought but not as an end in itself and disconnected from consumption. Dewey consequently advocates learning environments and structuring of learning experiences in a manner that triggers learners to reflect and find meaning knowledge on their own.

Russell’s views of an educated person and education ascend from his constant expression of contempt against an educational system, which compels learners to accept certain claims and conclusions instead of inspiring them to think for themselves. Russell maintained a view that the tendency of passive acceptance of conclusions will become disastrous in the later stages of life. Like Dewey, Russell accommodates an educational system that seeks to equip learners with minimum knowledge, which is essential for one to take part in making informed decisions actively. Based on this, Russell presents an educated person as one who strives to establish meaning and understanding through the sanctification of dogmas empirically.

Lambert (2018) conceives education as a tool and medium of social transformation. Based on this view, Lambert (2018) believes in the pedagogy of asking questions as one of the best methods of bringing about social change through education and learning. School should intend to comprehend the disciplines of knowledge as a basis of developing an understanding of how knowledge reacts in real life situations; and therefore considers those venturing unto this discourse an educated person. Further, it is through this understanding that an educated person gets rewarded with eternal joy, absorption, and satisfaction writes Lambert, (2018).

Newman, Hoechner & Sancho (2019) place a heavy-duty on a teacher in an education setting and assert that a teacher has a responsibility which can be justified when teaching offers necessary equipment facilitating learners to assess that which they are learning and continue by their own. The scholar exerts confidence in an education system that seeks to induce into the learners a prescribed content but insists that the “content without criticism is blind, but criticism without content is empty” (Peters, 1969, pg. 110). Quay et al., (2018) criticize Peter’s conception of an educated person and refute all definitions which emphasize the cognitive abilities. Martin (2018) suggests that an educated person has mastered control over his/her affective and psychomotor domains.

According to James Marshall, an educated person is characterized by three dominant traits. First, that; an educated person has an average extent of commitment and knowledge to rationality in both actions and beliefs. This rationality enables educated people to make justifiable decisions. Secondly, an educated person has a special commitment to a particular course and is set to stand up and counted when the human good us at stake. Finally, Marshall (1983) believes an educated person can experience joy both in isolation from colleagues and also with colleagues; and indeed will find nothing distasteful in humans.

Martin (2018) writes that an educated person is “an adult human being who is a person or moral agent.” The scholar further believes that this kind of person will treat oneself and others as persons and bearers of human rights. Martin much values the aspect of dignity and respect for humanity as fundamental precepts defining an intelligent being. Martin, (2018) explains that what an educated person requires is “creaturely feeling toward” each other. An educated person, therefore, cannot be alienated from the virtues of caring and love for humanity at large.

In ancient times, the sole function of education was to disseminate information and knowledge to learners. This archaic perspective experienced an unexpected revival in the 1980s, almost tasting the brink of extinction. However, still, several thinkers on education, including Richard Rorty, John Peck, and Hirsch, hold onto this perspective that school should fundamentally and solely disseminate information and knowledge to the people. McPeck (2016) writes that the subject of critical thinking should be rendered less attention in an educational setting or not be taught in elementary school and that this subject should only be introduced to learners who have attained the age of sixteen. This perspective, in my opinion, hampers exposure of learners to excellent critical thinking skills, yet which are instrumental in decision-making practice.

Hirsch focuses on the prospects of shared literate information and gives a particular preference to cultural literacy as opposed to critical thinking. On this note, an educated person is measured on the threshold of knowledge and understanding of universal cultural literacy, values, and ethics. Informing learners about these universals ought to be the core principle of education, especially to young learners. The subjection of learners to universals contributes to the bringing of educated citizens; with the capacity to appreciate and respect differences and diversity and make informed choices in life.

Rorty (1989) believes an educated person can communicate that which is universally considered acceptable; and that which is acceptable within the immediate societal expectations. The scholar maintains that schools are obligated to refrain from teaching the aspect of socialization; and any knowledge which challenges established precepts. In my opinion, this kind of thinking is subject to continuous passing down of errors through education. Limiting the subjection of learners to critical thinking inhibits them from thinking objectively for themselves. Therefore learners merely get indoctrinated instead of knowledge, which has a lifelong impact on the future of learners as autonomous thinkers.

Conclusions on what is an Educated Person is

Education refers to the systematic process which an individual goes through to attain new knowledge or elaborate on the existing knowledge. An educated person is deemed as one who has experiences and has subjected himself into the learning process in a learning institution to acquire knowledge and understanding required to elevate his/her skills in a given area (Ramp, Smith & Brocket, 2004). In my conviction, an educated person is one who has mastered control over the three domains of learning, namely the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains. Such a person has a genuine and sincere sense of empathy and can, therefore, understand other peoples’ perspectives, and can withhold skewed judgment until they become sure that they do understand given contexts.

An educated person has a mastery of understanding of the physical, psychological, cultural, and moral milieu in which they find themselves, caring all the time, and demonstrating a high sense of respect. Alongside the spinning wheel of constant and rapid globalization, an educated person is one who can competently deal with the diversity and people from different cultural extractions. This sort of person has mastered the concept of intercultural communication and has respect for differences that characterize people from different cultural and philosophical backgrounds. This person has respect for cultural artifacts of the people and strives to understand these elements (Ramp, Smith & Brocket, 2004).

An educated individual is one who is liberally educated. Such people have exposure to a broader range of disciplines and subjects, and understanding of their content and approaches the content is judged. The prospects of critical and analytical skills are crucial, which form critical expressive voices to an educated person. When an individual develops self-awareness fundamental values and communication capacities, he/she also develops abilities to behave responsibly and be able to take part in social change.

I also believe an educated person should be able to demonstrate specific competencies, particularly in communication, observing, and listening domains. This sort of person can express themself both in oral and written communication contexts and can react to an intellectual challenge immediately or shortly later after research. An educated person is intrinsically motivated to learn how to be an active observer and listener to enhance the quests competencies in analyzing non-verbal cues and cultural symbols in the area of communication. This is relevant, especially in the era whereby intercultural communication is rampant, therefore requiring mastery of cultural symbols as a tool of effective communication across cultures.

I am inclined to believe; that an educated person is conscious about political, environmental, and cultural issues and has emotional concerns about these issues as they have direct and indirect impacts on one’s space. An educated person is well informed about contemporary environmental challenges such as climate change, and being informed forms the basis of acting towards management and control of such problems. Political, cultural, and economic issues also affect people either directly or indirectly, and therefore an educated person is curious about understanding how these dynamics influence life and survival on the planet; and even strives to take part in these issues.

In an American setting, to be considered educated requires a particular level of cultural capital, which is a construct of literacy and verbal skills, personal development and refinement, knowledge on cultural artifacts and conventions, and self-awareness. These areas help in the placement of Americans into a specific social class. These areas help to draw the line between the educated and the non-educated members of the society. An educated person exhibits high competencies not only in the academic setting but also through the mannerisms under which he/she expresses himself both verbally and non-verbally.

A successful and educated person is an inspiration to many people in a particular environment. The majority of the people, especially the young, acquire motivation form educated people who are thriving well in life. Educated people, therefore, are obligated to be the “shining stars” in the society which young people draw motivation. Although not always, many educated people are role models in many communities and are the benchmarks for distinguishing educationists from the rest. Many corporate organizations depend on the educated population to spearhead their ventures and accrue huge returns. Due to these, learning institutions have focused on training learners holistically; to ensure the graduates acquire skills, attitudes, behavioral patterns, and cognitive capacities, which resonate positively not only to universal norms; but also local business needs.

Conclusion

The concept of what an educated person is has been presented in a range of mixed views. However, these diverse views converge at a common point concerning traits representing an educated person. As discussed above, an educated person stands out as a person who has developed in the three domains of learning, namely cognitive, affective, and psychomotor. An educated person has an in-depth understanding of cultural capital and is slow to skewed judgment. As a result, an individual is empathetic, and a respecter of differences characterizing humanity.