Year: 2011
Type: book-review
Abstract: W hat is the true purpose of an education?Is an educated, well-rounded populace necessary for a democracy to succeed?What role should higher education play in promoting critical thinkers?Martha C. Nussbaum addresses these important questions in Not for Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities, inviting us to take a critical view of the impact that educational policies and initiatives have on democratic society.Nussbaum argues that the humanities are an essential component of education; through the humanities, individuals are able to develop critical thinking, creativity, and, most important, empathy.When a large segment of the population lacks these key components, society suffers and enters into a pseudo-democracy governed by those with the most appealing sound bites and those perceived to have the most authority.In recent years, educational policy from preschool through higher education (P-20) levels has focused on education as a means for individuals to increase their employability in an ever more competitive job market.As Nussbaum points out, when the humanities are diminished in this process, individuals are prepared for a particular job at a particular point in time, but are ill-prepared to evolve and persevere, given the changing nature of the economy and their respective skill sets.This is a result of an educational curriculum stripped down to the information deemed appropriate for passing a test.Throughout the book, Nussbaum uses exemplars that highlight the components of an education that promotes the critical use of knowledge and incorporates the arts in learning content.She references the work of John Dewey and the Laboratory School at the University of Chicago, Rabindranath Tagore's schools in India, and Bronson Alcott and the Temple School in Boston.Nussbaum posits that nothing short of transformative efforts at the federal, state, and local levels are needed to move the current educational system in the direction exemplified by these schools.The costs of not rethinking and restructuring P-12 and higher education institutions are dire and will affect all aspects of society.Preparing individuals to be actively involved in their communities and societies may start at home, but is reinforced and
Author: Deborah E. Bordelon
Institution: Governors State University
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W1576300030