According to Bertrand Russell, the effect of Aristotle's teaching on Alexander was nil. We can generalise this to affirm that the effect of education on character is zero – or even negative.
In light of the recent events in Bangladesh involving the academic community, it can be safely inferred that with education comes a progressive deterioration in character. What would have appeared culpable to any illiterate peasant appeared not only innocent, but even laudable, to our teachers and students. Tolstoy was right to elevate the unlettered farmer above the educated intellectual.
After all, it took a massive amount of education to turn French peasants into murderers.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
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