The Paideia proposal Book

"Our country faces many insistently urgent problems, on the solution of which its prosperity and even its survival depend--the threat of nuclear war, the shrinking of essential resources and supplies of energy, the pollution or spoliation of the environment, the spiraling of inflation accompanied by the spread of unemployment. To solve these problems, we need resourceful and innovative leadership. For that to arise and be effective, we must have an educated people. Trained intelligence in followers as well as leaders, holds the key to the solution of the problems we face."

Written in 1982, this manifesto is based on the idea that the 20th Century offered us something of great value in the United States--UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE. Adler believes that in order to have a fully functioning democratic society ALL CHILDREN, regardless of home situation, color, creed, or socioeconomic status, are entitled...yes, ENTITLED to the best education possible. He believes education is the key to bettering oneself, overcoming poverty, living a full life, and beneficial employment. Additionally, it is *key* to a functioning democracy, because "democracy without education becomes a mobocracy." As of 1982, he felt that there was still a large class of children, who from the beginning, are relegated to be "workers" who do not need to be "educated." This, he believes, is a huge miscarriage of justice for a civil and advanced society. Whatever the end vocation, wherever interests lead an individual, whatever career path they choose, every individual--no matter their capacity--deserves the absolute best education possible. He also believes pre-school education to be vital to better prepare children who come from homes where they may be less prepared, and intense remediation for any child who might need it--no matter the cost, time, or effort, because as members of the human species every single individual is innately valuable and every single person should have EQUAL access to a shot at happiness.

His ideas might sound Utopian, but what an amazing idea. This is an ideal worth striving for! Do we want our children graduating from schools to be "workers"? Or do we want them to be thinkers and problem solvers, adept for any employment? Do we want the rising generation to be conversant in the great ideas of the world, or full of "facts" they have learned to memorize and regurgitate? I, for one, choose creativity, interaction with the arts and sciences, the readings of books, and intelligent discourse as a means to solve the world's problems. I am excited to work on incorporating what principles I can in my college classes.