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Charlotte Mason in Modern English
Charlotte Mason's ideas are too important not to be understood and implemented in the 21st century, but her Victorian style of writing sometimes prevents parents from attempting to read her books. This is an imperfect attempt to make Charlotte's words accessible to modern parents. You may read these, print them out, share them freely--but they are copyrighted to me, so please don't post or publish them without asking.
~L. N. Laurio
pg 117
Chapter 12 - Faith and Duty: Claims of
Philosophy as an Instrument of Education (Book Review Alfred Fouillée's Education from a National Standpoint)
British
Educational Thought Tends To Lean Towards Naturalism
Ever since Locke's ideas established a whole new school of educational
thinking based on British philosophy, we've tended to lean exclusively
towards naturalism [naturalism
rejects any
supernatural explanations for phenomenon], or maybe even
materialism. That means that one possible element is eliminated in
education--the force of ideas.
Madame de Staël wrote a notable passage about this tendency of
British philosophy. Although we might not accept all of her
conclusions, what she wrote should make us stop and think, and consider
whether it would be a good idea to modify the tendencies of our
national thinking by allowing ourselves to be influenced by others
outside of England..
Madame
de Staël's Thoughts About Locke
'Hobbs [an Englishman] took
literally the philosophy that says that all
of our ideas are no more than sensory impressions. He wasn't at all
intimidated by the consequences of that concept. He insisted that the
soul is subject to necessity as certainly as societies are subject to
absolute rule. Political and religious institutions have consolidated
the worship of all pure, elevated sentiments until all of their
philosophical questions revolve around the predetermined concepts of
political and religious dogma, but never think to question the
foundations of that dogma.
pg 118
'Because of these views, Hobbes didn't have many followers in his own
country. But Locke had more of a universal influence because he was
more moral and religious. He didn't allow himself to adopt any of the
corrupting reasonings that always result from metaphysics. Most of his
countrymen who adopted it weren't so tied to the idea that they
couldn't separate the results of principles. But Hume and the French
philosophers, after adopting the concept, applied it more logically.
'Locke's metaphysical ideas didn't destroy English thought. They just
tarnished their natural originality a little and dried up the source of
their grand philosophical thinking. Rather than destroying religious
sentiment, his ideas included it. With the exception of Germany, all of
Europe accepted this metaphysical concept, and it was one of the main
reasons for immorality, which now had theory to back it up.'
[This quote was originally in French
and paraphrased from translations by google.com and David Tulis.]
Our
Educational Efforts Lack Any Kind of Definite Aim
It's good for us to recognize the continuity of educational thought in
England, and to realize that Herbert Spencer and Alexander Bain are
direct descendants in thought of the earlier philosophers. The
main weakness in our attempt to come up with a science of education is
probably our failure to recognize that education is derived from
philosophy. So
we deal with the peripheral issues and neglect the source. That's why
our efforts have no unified continuity or definite goal. We're
satisfied to
pick up one suggestion here, a practical hint there--without ever
bothering to consider which paradigm those suggestions and hints are
coming from.
pg 119
We're
on the Verge of Chaos
Alfred Fouillée's remarkable book Education from a National Standpoint
(translated by W. Greenstreet) should have some effect on the urgent
question of our time. Greenstreet writes in the preface, 'The spirit of
reform is in the air. The issue of whether Greek should continue to be
taught in our Universities is just the tip of a giant iceberg that's
ready to topple over on us and obliterate the distinguishing
characteristics
of our national educational system . . . Just a glimpse of the
educational systems taking over Europe and America should be enough to
show an observant person how close we are to the verge of chaos.'
But
We're Also in the Midst of an Educational Revolution
Greenstreet's words are wise and insightful, but let's not despair as
though this was the end. The truth is, we're in the middle of an
educational revolution. We're not on the verge of falling into chaos;
we're just emerging from out of it. We're finally beginning to realize
that education is the process of applying science to life. We already
have
enough existing material in ancient philosophy and current scientific
research to create an educational system to manage and regulate the
lives of ourselves and our children. It's not necessary for us to think
we need a complete and exhaustive code of educational laws. That will
happen naturally when humanity has fulfilled itself. In the meantime,
we have enough to start with, if we'd only believe it. What we need to
do is come together and pool our resources. Then we can prioritize and
put the most important things first, to make sure that education is no
more or no less than the practical application of the philosophy we
believe in. Accordingly,
pg 120
if we want our educational thought to be well-constructed and
effective, we need to examine the foundational philosophy that it
rests on. We need to be prepared to trace every suggestion for raising
children to one of the two schools of philosophy that it came from.
Is
our System of Education Going to Come From Naturalism or Idealism?
Do we want an educational system that springs from naturalism, or
idealism--or is there something in the middle? This is what Alfred
Fouillée attempts to answer from the perspective of a
philosophical educationalist. He analyzes his theory and draws his
conclusions with directness, proficiency, and philosophic insight so
that the reader feels confident to follow his reasoning. I admit he's
like an umpire in a baseball game who insists that one must be fair to
both sides, yet must slightly
favor his own side. Fouillée takes sides with classical rather
than scientific culture. But he doesn't just favor classical because
that's what he's familiar with; he has philosophical reasons for
putting his faith in classical education. His examination of the issue
of national education is educational and inspiring for teachers and
parents alike.
The
Ethical Perspective in Education
In his preface, Fouillée gives a key to how he deals with the
subject. He says,
'On this question, Guyau has left his mark, as he has on all great
questions of practical philosophy . . . He's dealt with the question
from the highest standpoint, and treated it very scientifically. He
asks, Once we know the hereditary strengths and faults of a race, how
much can we modify that heredity by using education to create a
pg 121
new heredity? And that is precisely the issue we're faced with.
We're not just concerned with educating a few individuals. We want to
preserve and improve the whole race. Therefore, education needs to be
based on the physical and moral laws of the culture of races . . . The
ethnic point of view is the proper perspective. Using education as a
tool, we need to create the kinds of hereditary tendencies that will be
useful to the human race both physically and intellectually.'
Fouillée begins at the beginning. He examines the principle of
natural selection, and shows that it works, not only in animal life,
but in intellectual, aesthetic and moral life, too. He demonstrates
that what might be called psychological selection exists, and evolves
depending on whose ideas are
deemed the most fit to decide on the laws that will rule the world. In
the light of the natural selection of ideas and their tremendous power,
Fouillée examines the controversial issue of education's
subjects and methods.
No
Attempt Has Been Made to Unify Education
Fouillée complains, justifiably, that no civilized society has
ever tried to unify or harmonize education as a whole. Instead,
attention is
focused on secondary issues. Everyone is arguing about the controversy
over
whether education should focus on literature or science, or whether
modern languages should be taught. But education is more than
literature and science. Fouillée introduces a new candidate. He
writes,
'In this book, we'll ask whether the link between science and
literature can be found in knowing man, society and the laws of the
universe. I mean, the link might be in morals and social science and
aesthetics--in other words, philosophy.'
pg 122
Philosophy's
Claim to be an Educational Tool
Here is the gist of what the Parents' Union has been trying to advance.
'The
most suitable study for mankind is man' is one of the kinds of
'thoughts from beyond their own thought' that poets write about. I can
add my own personal testimony to verify that no other study that I know
of can make an almost visible path of expansion in the mind and soul of
a young student in the way that philosophy can.
This book has thoroughly worked out a unique line of thought--the
thought that, just as a child with individual tendencies and interests
should be encouraged and educated to build up those tendencies and
interests, so should a nation.
'Social science might refuse to acknowledge any mystical explanations
of the common spirit that gives character to a nation, but it doesn't
reject the consciousness that nation reflects, or the spontaneous
belief of the functions that have been transferred to it, that every
nation has.'
A
Nation Should be Educated for its Proper Functions
Here's a productive suggestion. Consider how suitable a plan for
physical, intellectual and moral training is that's based on the ideal
of our British character and the destiny of our nation.
Fouillée's chapter titled 'Power
of Education and of Idea-Forces--Suggestions--Heredity' is very
useful. It uses a vague cloud of intuitions that come to us in relation
to all kinds of hypnotic wonders of our day. Fouillée claims
that,
'The ability of instruction and education is denied
pg 123
by some people and exaggerated by others. But it's really nothing more
than the power of ideas and sentiments. It's impossible to be too exact
about how much and how far the limits of this force can go. This
psychological problem is the foundation of teaching.
Fouillée
Neglects the Physiological Basis of Education
Basically, Fouillée goes boldly back to the philosophy of Plato.
In his mind, the idea is
everything, both in philosophy and education. But he ends up with
nothing. The wave of naturalism seems to be declining, and it hasn't
left anything of substance for him, except for some stranded fragments
of Darwinian theory. Yet it's this very natural, materialistic thinking
that's been responsible for giving us the physical foundation of
education [i.e., the fact that habit
makes physical changes in the brain.]
When we believed that thought, like an elfish sprite, was too light and
vaporous to have any physical impact on matter, our educational
philosophies had to be vague. We couldn't even catch Ariel, our sprite,
so how could we school him? But now physiologists have given us
evidence that our sprite has at least the tips of his toes on solid
ground, enough to leave footprints behind. There's an impression made
on the comfortable, familiar physical world. Our intangible
thoughts leave their mark on the tangible tissue of the brain.
Physiologists tell us that these marks create connections between the
brain's nerve cells. To put it simply, the brain 'develops to
accommodate whatever it gets used to doing earliest and most often.'
This fact has a lot of implications for one particular aspect of
education that
Fouillée barely mentions.
pg 124
That aspect is the formation of habits--physical, intellectual and
moral habits.
It's been rightly said, 'Sow an act, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a
character; sow a character, reap a destiny.' And one of the most
important jobs of the educator is to train certain actions regularly,
with a purpose, and methodically so that the child will develop the
habits of thinking and doing that will make his life smoother, and
he'll be able to do them without much thinking about it.
The
Minor Morality Issues Become Matters of Habit
We're only just now beginning to realize how beneficial the laws that
govern our lives are. If a person is trained to have the right habits
as a child, then his life will run smoothly in those habits as an adult
without the stress and anxiety of having to make decisions about each
one of them.
There might be a few times during the course of a day--maybe once, or
twice, or even three times--when he'll have to stop and go through the
decision-making process to choose between the noble and the less noble,
or what seems good and what's truly best. But all the minor, more
routine
matters of morality will become mere habit to him. He's been brought up
to be polite, prompt, on time, neat, and considerate. And he'll do all
of these things without any conscious effort. It's a lot easier for him
to do what he's used to doing than to deviate and create a whole new
habit pattern. And the reason this is true is because God has
graciously and mercifully set it up so that our educational efforts
leave a tangible record and physical change in the brain. Therefore, we
only have to face the emotional strain of making moral decisions and
striving to do the right thing occasionally. 'Sow a habit, reap a
character.' In other words, forming habits is one of the main ways that
we can modify the inborn disposition that a child inherits, and
his habits will become the character he'll have as an adult.
The
Idea That Initiates a Habit
But even in this physical effort, the spiritual power of
pg 125
ideas has a part, because a habit is developed when we act on an
initial idea by carrying out a corresponding action many, many times.
For instance, a child may hear that Duke Wellington slept in a bed that
was too narrow to turn over in because he said 'when I feel like
turning over, it means it's time to get up.' The child doesn't like to
get up in the morning, but he wants to be like the hero of Waterloo.
You, as his parent, stimulate him to act on this idea every day for
about a month, until the habit is formed. By that time, it's just as
easy to get up on time as it is to sleep in.
Education has two functions: (a) forming the right habits, and, (b)
presenting inspiring ideas. The first is more dependent than we realize
on a physical process. The second is totally spiritual. Its origin,
method and result are intangible. Could this be the meeting point where
two philosophies come together that have divided mankind ever since men
began to think about their thoughts and actions? Both views are right
and we need both. Both have a role to play in helping people develop to
their highest potential. The essence of modern thought, and, in fact,
of all profound thought, is, Might the spiritual world have some kind
of impact on the physical world? Every issue, from the question of how
to educate a little child, to the mystery of the Incarnation, boils
down to this point. If one can conceive that the spiritual might
possibly impact the physical world, then everything else becomes clear,
from the ridiculous stunts that people do under hypnotic suggestion, to
the
miracles of Christianity. It becomes possible, although not always
easy, to believe when we're told that an effort of extreme
concentration of thought and feeling has allowed some devout people to
develop the marks of the cross
pg 126
on their own hands and feet. If we can just accept the possibility that
spiritual forces can influence the physical world, nothing is
impossible for our faith. All we ask for is a precedent. But, the fact
is, this interaction of spiritual and physical forces happens all the
time. It's our common and normal daily experience. Isn't it the impact
of spirit upon matter that influences our physical flesh to show our
character and behavior in our facial expression? And it isn't just our
face that manifests our inner person--a good observer of human nature
can read a person's body language fairly well even from behind. A
sculptor knows how it works. There's a statue of the recently deceased
Prince Albert in Edinburgh that shows different groups of people paying
homage to the Prince Consort. If you stand so that you can see the
backs and shoulders of the people, it's obvious which one is the
scholar, soldier,
peasant, and artisan. Isn't this the influence of spirit over matter?
There
is No Middle Ground
That puts us in the midst of a dilemma. There's no middle ground open
to
us. Physiologists have proved conclusively that the physical brain is
what thinks. In fact, physical thought can go on in the brain even
without the conscious will or participation of the person. Even more
than that, some of the best of our art and literature is the result of
unconscious thought. So we have to admit one of two things. Either
thought is strictly a physical process of the material brain tissue,
just another chemical reaction, or the physical brain is the agent of
spiritual thought, and the spiritual thought acts on it like the
fingers of a pianist striking the keys of his instrument. If we can
allow this, then the whole question is conceded. The spiritual can
indeed impact physical material. It's an accepted fact.
pg 127
The
Individuality of Children is Safeguarded
As we've said before, parents and teachers are only allowed to play a
minor role in the great work of education after all. You can bring a
horse to water, but you can't make him drink. In the same way, you can
bring the most suitable ideas to the mind of a child, but you have no
way of knowing which he'll take to, and which he'll reject. And it's a
good thing for us that a child's individuality is protected by this
safeguard that's within each of them. Our job is to make sure that his
educational plate is always refilled with appropriate and inspiring
ideas. Once we've done our job, we need to leave it to the child's
mental appetite to take what it needs, and how much it needs. But we
need to watch out for one thing. The least sign of fullness, especially
when we're talking about moral and religious ideas, should be taken as
a serious warning. If we persist at that point, we may spoil the
child's appetite forever, and he may never willing sit down to that
particular dish again.
The
Importance of Striking Ideas
The limitations we perceive in our own abilities when it comes to
presenting ideas should make us even more careful about what kinds of
ideas we set in front of our children. We won't be satisfied that they
learn geography, history, Latin, etc. We'll want to know what striking
ideas were presented in each subject, and how those ideas affect the
child's intellectual and moral development. We'll have the resolve to
consider the issue of education as Fouillée presented it calmly
and sincerely. We probably won't agree with him in many of the details,
but we'll most likely agree to his conclusions--the conclusion that it
isn't the subject that's merely
pg 128
practical/vocational, but moral and social science topics that are
covered in history, literature, or whatever, that we dare not leave out
of the curriculum because our students are 'beings who breathe
thoughtful breath.'
The charts of subjects studied in the Appendix are very helpful. Every
subject is treated from what may be called the ideal point of view.
A
Scientific Spirit
'Two things are necessary. First, we have to introduce the philosophic
spirit and method into every scientific subject that's studied. The
student needs to search for the most general principles and
conclusions. Then we need to reduce the different sciences to their
common similarities and unity by providing a healthy training in
philosophy. Philosophy should be required of science students in the
same way that it's required of literature students . . . Descartes said
that scientific truths are battles that were won. We should describe
the most important and most heroic of these battles to young students.
That will get them interested in the scientific spirit because they'll
be enthusiastic about the conquest of truth. They'll be able to see the
power of reasoning, which is what led to such great discoveries in the
past, and will lead to more in the future. Even arithmetic and geometry
would seem interesting if students learned something of the history of
their main theorems. Imagine if a child could feel like he was there
during the efforts of Pythagoras, or Plato, or Euclid--or in more
modern times, Viète, Descartes, Pascal, or Leibnitz. Great
theories would no longer seem like lifeless, anonymous abstracts.
They'd become human, living truths, each one with its own story, like a
Michelangelo statue, or a Raphael painting.'
Paraphrased by L. N. Laurio
Please direct any comments or questions to me by emailing me at cmseries-owner at yahoogroups dot com.
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