让世界晕头转向的9本书(6)

2026-02-09
《民主主义和教育》

  约翰·杜威 1916年
  上榜理由:让世界相信,教育和真理无关。

  在《民主主义和教育》中,杜威蔑视学校只注重学生传统人格的培养,教他们生硬的知识,而不是鼓励老师培养学生思考“能力”。他的想法对美国教育,特别是公立学校的教育方向产生了巨大影响。这本书可以被看作“反传统教育宣言”。但其产生的结果如何?接受低等教育的一代年轻人缺乏对真理和知识的扎实基本功。杜威曾是哲学实用学校的三大奠基人之一,在那所学校里,“真理”是可以被制造和改变的。现在,新西兰学校的课程就非常能取悦杜威,因为它的设立在很大程度上参考了他的理论。

  Democracy and Education

  John Dewey, 1916
  On the list because: it convinced the world that education is not about facts

  In Democracy and Education, Dewey disparages schooling that focuses on traditional character development and endowing children with hard knowledge, and encourages the teaching of thinking “skills” instead. His views have had great influence on the direction of American education–particularly in public schools. This book could be considered to be the anti-classical education manifesto. And the consequence? A generation of youths with an inferior education which lacks a founding in solid facts and knowledge. Dewey was one of the three founders of the philosophical school of Pragmatism - a school of thought which proposes that “truth” is made and can change. The current curriculum in New Zealand is one which would please Dewey immensely as it is largely founded on his principles.