What every child needs

 I’ve lived my life surrounded by teachers, good ones who have examined the question of what an education should be. Since I am not, and have never been, an educator, I’m not in position to say.

But I ran across this from Alasdair MacIntyre, who would be on my short list of living philosophers whose ideas are interesting:

 

What every child needs is a lot of history and a lot of mathematics, including both the calculus and statistics, some experimental physics and observational astronomy, a reading knowledge of Greek, sufficient to read Homer or the New Testament, and if English-speaking, a speaking knowledge of a modern language other than English, and great quantities of English literature, especially Shakespeare. Time also has to be there for music and art.

 

MacIntyre is talking about education to prepare students for college. He thought we need fewer subjects and more depth.

 

(Such an education) would produce in our students habits of mind which would unfit them for the contemporary world. But to unfit students for the contemporary world ought in any case to be one of our educational aims.

 

What I like is the notion of what an education is for: to develop habits of mind.

I’m interested because I have contradictory views about my own habits of mind. It’s obvious that they need work — a transformation, rather than a tune-up. It’s also obvious that at 68 my habits of mind are largely set.

• Source: “In Interview with Alasdair MacIntyre,” Cogito, Summer 1991. The interview was introducing MacIntyre to the community at the University of Notre Dame. He had been appointed professor of philosophy. He’s 95.