History of Education

A well - known philosopher has treated the history of education as an account of the latest stage in the process of evolution. All the development of the universe that had taken place in the stages prior to the advent of man might, he thought, be considered as the result of a sort of unconscious education. Or better, education might be regarded as 'conscious evolution,' - the stage where the process came to completer consciousness of itself and sought to guide itself more definitely. In other words, at this point man might be said to take himself in hand and endeavor to direct his living toward a higher development or 'ideal end.' From such a point of view, the purpose of education is to help along this latest and highest movement in the working out of the world. The teacher's function thus becomes the most important of all in society, and the history of education surveys a wider field than any other study in the curriculum.

This is an inspiring interpretation, but it is hardly necessary to plunge very deeply into speculation or to study the history of education before man's advent, in order to perceive the dignity and importance of the teaching profession, or to realize the wide range of perspective afforded by a study of educational history. In fact, if the history of education is limited to a record of only typical instances of the moral, aesthetic, and intellectual development of man in all lands and at all periods of civilization, and his efforts to evolve ever higher and more expanding ideals, the student of this subject will find his vision considerably enlarged without reverting to the day of the clod, the plant, the ameba, or our simian ancestry.

If we are to regard education as the gradual realization of a world purpose, and to consider the history of education as a history of progress in which each nation, period, or theorist described represents some stage in the process or embodies some suggestion of advance or retrogression, the most natural method of procedure is to study each topic from the standpoint of progress.

But beyond learning and interpreting the facts connected with the educational purpose of a country, period, or individual, and the way in which the attempt was made to approach this goal. the matter, method, and organization of the system, and making some estimate of its results, the student of the history of education has no direct concern. This classification is quite obvious in the earliest types of education, but the more advanced the culture, the more complicated does it become.

Nevertheless, the very simplicity and uniformity of the organization, method, and content of savage education, by constituting an instructive contrast to later complexities, and affording a means of interpreting them, form a natural starting-point for studying the history of education, and would seem to be worthy of some consideration. Of the other Semitic nations of the Ancient Orient, the Phinicians and Israelites are of especial interest to the history of education, because of their influence upon civilization. The history of the Israelites lasted until so much later, and their culture was so superior to that of the other Semites, the nation is treated elsewhere , with countries of a higher type.