Of course, it should not be assumed that the contents of the goods are fully known or agreed upon. But it is doubtful that anyone will be convinced by the logic of the argument alone.
Education and the Common Good: A Moral Philosophy of the Curriculum by Philip H. Phenix
Introduction
Two Democracies
The basic assumption of the democracy of value is that the values that emerge in human experience are not ultimately determinations of the human will, but discoveries of antecedent possibilities. The present work is not intended as a definitive statement of the values that democracy of value should focus on.
Intelligence
Intellectual Excellence
They are properly the guardians and custodians of the ever-revealing truth and the representatives of the people in their devoted pursuit of knowledge. The defenders of truth have often carried out acts of tyranny and oppression in the name of truth.
The Mass Media of Communication
The use of the mass media in a valuable democracy is based on four principles. Finally, voluntary regulation of the mass media can be exercised by the receiving public as individuals and as groups.
Creativity
Esthetic Excellence
It is determined by the character of the whole to which the constituent elements contribute. An aesthetic quality is said to have depth when the meaning of the perceived object does not.
Manners
Teaching about habits and customs should be one of the essential parts of the curriculum. The relative neglect of manners in modern education is evidence of the prevailing concern for. The function of such manners is opposite to the function of manners of self-expression.
Therefore, careful instruction in proper grammatical forms should be an important component of the educational program. In a team game, it is team effectiveness, not individual performance, that matters most. He must cultivate sensitivity to the reactions of others and concern for the best use of their special abilities.
Work
Further evidence of the rejection of work is the proliferation of labor-saving devices in our advanced industrial society. The widespread practice of academic dishonesty further reflects the prevailing view of work. The other consequence of the philosophy of achievement is the atomization of the occupational structure in modern industrial society.
Man is not a slave, subject to the tyranny of the desire for success, but a willing servant of good. Moreover, the distribution of occupations in society is not only determined by market pressures. He must then take responsibility for the well-being of his organization and of humanity as a whole.
Recreation
In view of the changes in the human situation brought about by technology, we can expect that the role of leisure will become increasingly influential in modern society. Therefore, recreation is a real educational matter, and stimulating recreational capabilities is part of the educational task. The special educational significance of the latter lies in the freedom they offer for self-direction.
This study of the classics, which for generations embodied the ideal of liberal education. It must be open to new developments and subject to continuous assessment and revision in light of the criteria of excellence. The last of the six principles has to do with the organization of the curriculum.
Conscience
The Uses of Nature
The success of the natural sciences relative to the study of man makes this transfer tempting. The special office of human studies today is to preserve a sense of meaning in a dehumanized machine world. In addition to the health of the environment, attention should also be paid to its aesthetic qualities.
A considerable part of the aesthetic interest of nature comes from the various forms of wild life. A third requirement for the conscientious use of nature is to take due account of the limitations of natural resources. Finally, great consideration will have to be given to the limitations of the energy supply.
Health
From a democratic perspective, medical treatment should be provided with the patient's informed consent. Safety education begins in the earliest days of the child's life, in the constant vigilance of parents against any danger to the helpless child. Provision should be made for driver training – possibly in addition to the school curriculum – to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to learn the correct use of the car.
During eons of evolutionary development, its physical structures arose in response to a challenge. Therefore, physical education must be aimed at the development of coordinated intellectual-social-physical activities that sensibly engage the energies of the whole person. It is necessary to clarify the symptoms, diagnosis and prognosis of the disease, as far as they are known, as well as its genetic, physiological,
Sex and Family Life
The primacy of the family in education rests on the parents' spontaneous devotion to theirs. From this fundamental inequality in the establishment of the relationship arises the demand for a one-sided unconditional love of the parents for the child. The duty to obey is just one ingredient in the concern for the child's well-being and for his proper education.
It is in no way intended for the parents' gratification or profit, to make life easier for them (although that may be a welcome byproduct), or to satisfy their desire for control. The erosion of parental authority and the rejection of the children's duty to obey has seriously contributed. It is possible that the restoration of loyalty to the Right in every aspect of life could be greatly aided by a new acceptance of the ideal of sexual purity.
Social Class
The revolutionary approach to the democratization of the social order is characteristic of the democracy of desire. These ideals of democracy valued in the realm of social class have direct application in education. It is the proper duty of the democratic school to serve as an influence against the general stratification of social classes.
Several features of the American school system reflect the struggle against social class without denying the need for functional classification. It is also possible in mixed grouping for some of the brightest students to help teach the less able. Finally, the provision of universal free public education is the most dramatic evidence of America's rejection of a class ideology.
Race
The result is the intensification of intergroup conflict and, paradoxically, the hardening of the prejudice that needs to be eradicated. The foundation of racial justice is a deep conviction of the unity of humanity and respect for the value of each person. If one has a commitment to know the truth and live by it, knowledge of the facts about race can help in the healing of.
Furthermore, the science of biology also provides a better understanding of the relationship between heredity and environment in determining personality. The highest offense in the eyes of the racist is to marry a person of another race. It is the duty of schools to act as a countervailing force in a prejudiced society.
Economic Life
One of the great appeals of the free enterprise system is this belief that the free market of consumer goods, capital. Free enterprise conforms to the democratic ideal of equality in the sense that all are subject to the law of the market. Supporters of the free enterprise system also favor keeping government to a minimum, especially in the economic sphere.
The purpose of the controlled economy is to distribute goods and services more equally than under the free market system. Most participants in the battle over an American economic ideology take the standpoint of the democracy of desire. This implicit elevation of economic motives to the position of ultimate principles aligns the exponents of the democracy of desire with the communists, for whom the economic.
Political Organization
Moreover, raising the educational level of the people is not a sure cure for the corruption of mass democracy. Democracy is usually conceived as a system for realizing the "will of the people". One of the foundations of democracy is that the government does not rule over men, but over the law.
The differences between governments revolve around the question of the sources and sanctions of the law. A better explanation would be the assumption that the constitution is a good approximation of the principles of justice to which the will of the people should be subordinated. Politics is the realm of collective action; it is the art of the feasible; and the practical is never the ideal.
World Responsibility
On the one hand, there is new hope and strength over wide areas of the earth. In other words, what threatens to extinguish the light of civilization altogether is a union of the. The widespread revolutionary movements of the time are also due to the general demand for a greater share of material goods.
So what are some of the ideals of democracy that are valuable in the field. Mass extermination of people and livelihoods in war is a moral giant. None of the major human purposes can be fulfilled without a global perspective.
Reverence
Religion
The democracy of desire rests on the principle of human self-determination and self-sufficiency, which is the antithesis of the principle of respect on which democracy should be founded. A democracy of value, on the other hand, is based on the religious premise of the primacy and the reality of law. This is not to be understood in the conventional sense, as securing devotion to a specifically organized church or embracing any of the traditional creeds.
Regardless of its visible forms, the important goal is the redirection of life from ultimate attachment and acquisitiveness to active love for the good. It is therefore the duty of a democratic state and its agencies, including public schools, to recognize and promote freedom of religion. In the use of mass media, respect is shown in the goal of creating a blessed community, connected in truth, through the medium of public education for the common good and not for propaganda and profit to advance selfish interests. .
