Posted in Books, Books and More Books
Heather left this great quote of CS Lewis on her blog, I'm shamelessly lifting it and leaving it here for those of you who don't regularly visit my blogging friends (listed in the sidebar). I read The Screwtape Letters in high school when I was almost completely unable to really understand his whole point, so I intend to revisit that book. And add to the pile the book from which this quote came "Screwtape Makes a Toast." Thanks, Heather!Oh and the formatting is off,please forgive!
slight disclaimer:
I don't agree with everything that i've ever read Lewis to say, (his theology is rather odd at some points) but on this subject he is right on the mark.
CS Lewis on the modern educational system of his time:
The basic principle of the new education is to be that dunces and
idlers must not be made to feel inferior to intelligent and industrious
pupils. That would be "undemocratic." These differences between the
pupils - for they are obviously and nakedly individual differences - must be disguised. This can be done on various levels. At universities, examinations must be framed so that nearly all the students get good marks. Entrance examinations must be framed so that all, or nearly all, citizens can go to universities, whether they have any power (or wish) to profit by higher education or not. At schools, the children who are too stupid or lazy to learn languages and mathematics and elementary science can be set to doing the things that children used to do in their spare time. Let them, for example, make mud pies and call it modelling. But all the time there must be no faintest hint that they are inferior to the children who are at work.
Whatever nonsense they are engaged in must have - I believe the English already use the phrase - "parity of esteem." An even more drastic scheme is not impossible. Children who are fit to proceed to a higher class may be artificially kept back, because the others would get a trauma- Beelzebub, what a useful word! - by being left behind. The bright pupil thus remains democratically fettered to his own age group
throughout his school career, and a boy who would be capable of
tackling Aeschylus or Dante sits listening to his coeval's attempts to
spell out A CAT SAT ON A MAT.
In a word, we may reasonably hope for the virtual abolition of education when I'm as good as you has fully had its way. All incentives to learn and all penalties for not learning will vanish. The few who might want to learn will be prevented; who are they to overtop their fellows? And anyway the teachers - or should I say, nurses?- will be far too busy reassuring the dunces and patting them on the back to waste any time on real teaching. We shall no longer have to plan and toil to spread
imperturbable conceit and incurable ignorance among me. The little
vermin themselves will do it for us.
Of course, this would not follow unless all education became state education. But it will.
~ C.S. Lewis Screwtape Proposes a Toast
Whatever nonsense they are engaged in must have - I believe the English already use the phrase - "parity of esteem." An even more drastic scheme is not impossible. Children who are fit to proceed to a higher class may be artificially kept back, because the others would get a trauma- Beelzebub, what a useful word! - by being left behind. The bright pupil thus remains democratically fettered to his own age group
throughout his school career, and a boy who would be capable of
tackling Aeschylus or Dante sits listening to his coeval's attempts to
spell out A CAT SAT ON A MAT.
In a word, we may reasonably hope for the virtual abolition of education when I'm as good as you has fully had its way. All incentives to learn and all penalties for not learning will vanish. The few who might want to learn will be prevented; who are they to overtop their fellows? And anyway the teachers - or should I say, nurses?- will be far too busy reassuring the dunces and patting them on the back to waste any time on real teaching. We shall no longer have to plan and toil to spread
imperturbable conceit and incurable ignorance among me. The little
vermin themselves will do it for us.
Of course, this would not follow unless all education became state education. But it will.
~ C.S. Lewis Screwtape Proposes a Toast
