BookPastor >> "The End of Education" (Neil Postman)

TITLE: The End of Education: Redefining the Value of School
AUTHOR: Neil Postman
PUBLISHER: New York, NY: Vintage Books, 1996, (210 pages).

This book has a very clever title. The word "end" has a dual meaning. It could mean finality of education. It could also mean the purpose of education. As far as one of America's most famous cultural critic is concerned, it is both. Carefully, he explains both in terms of "motivation" and "metaphysical." The former is a means toward some end. The latter represents the purpose and meaning of it all. For if there is no purpose, then truly the final nail on the education coffin would have been struck. In Part One of the book, Postman deals with the necessity of gods, saying that it is not the religious type of divinity but that of a reason for learning. It is the kind that motivates us to press on. It is necessary in the sense that it helps propel us forward. Such a motivation is good unless that it is based upon wrong gods. Postman insightfully observes four major gods that have choked the true purpose of education. The first is that of "Economic Utility" that promises a good job and money as long as one studies hard, gets good results, and succeeds in the educational system. The problem is, do the jobs out there require all the knowledge and skills that the schools provided the students? Is there a guarantee of jobs? Is the Economic Utility model more of a mockery on humans? The second false god is that of "Consumership," where the accumulation of knowledge seems to be the order of the day. The one with the "most toys wins," so say this god. With this god, "you are what you accumulate." It boosts materialism, hoarding of knowledge, and all kinds of advertising, which in itself has its fair share of complexities and ethical challenges. The third false god is "Technology" and here Postman shines in observing that those who worship such a god will increasingly find schools unnecessary. After all, if one can learn all the content and information via technology, why bother with teachers?  With increasing amount of information, people keep wanting more and more without a proportional sense of understanding why and why. He debunks the notion of technology breaking down the rich-poor divide. The fourth god is that of "Multiculturalism" that essentially subverts best educational methods and techniques in favour of multicultural criteria. He spends time explaining himself, assuring readers that he is not against multiculturalism, but only against the impoverishment of education that results from an inappropriate use of the multiculturalism card.