Emily Nolen
Mr. Benton
English 102
#3: In Need of a New Enlightenment
The age of enlightenment in the 1700’s was when people changed their way of thinking. Before the enlightenment, people did not think critically but relied on religion and tradition to explain their way of life and the world around them. Critical thinking led to new forms of government, philosophy, religion, and the arts. I believe people have stopped thinking critically and developing new ways of thinking with our evolving society.
For example, American’s society is developing jobs for independent creative people, but the education system is all wrong for these people. When the first enlightenment came to America it was the time of our industrial revolution, and the majority of careers were in factories. Today, most factory jobs have been taken over by technology and now many jobs are geared toward the creative industries. Therefore, more and more people are failing or dropping out of school because it is still tailored to teach masses of unique individuals as a standard package. We need to begin a new age of enlightenment in education.
For decades, the education system has grouped students based on age alone. Other factors should be taken into account other than age, because everyone develops at a different rate and excel in different areas. For instance, two students of the same age see shapes and colors that student want to create something new; while the other will want to measure and compare to analyze the objects. These two students have different ways of thinking and therefore need to be taught using different teaching styles.
The education system as it is does not work in todays society. People and the culture they live in is constantly changing! People must continue to think critically and adapt the way we think and teach to reflect our constantly changing society.
Emily -- when responding to multiple texts make reference to the specific author/text and the ideas you are commenting on.
ReplyDeletePeople did think critically before The Age of Enlightment -- in fact the Age of Enlightment was sparked by European exposure to Muslim/Asian cultures and the reintroduction of ancient Greek/Roman philosophies/culture. What the authors/Wikipedia are stating is that during what is commonly referred to as The Middle Ages there was that the dominant culture was restrictive because of feudal economic relations (which kept the peasants tied to a small area), and, the domination of religious thought (which hindered/forbid scientific exploration/innovation that challenged religious dogma).
Still there were many innovations and art from this period that still astounds contemporary people. Likewise from the cultures of antiquity.
Feel free to ask questions about any of this -- credit.