Ignorance is Not Bliss by Amber

Ignorance is Not Bliss by Amber - April 2015 Scholarship Essay

In your opinion, what is the purpose of an education?

When a typical high school student thinks of education, they think of lousy lunches and teenage drama. This somewhat warped view of education strays from its original intent. Modern education finds its foundation from the Greeks. It was a Greek by the name of Aristotle that thought education was the basis of society. He believed education should start at a young age and encourage students to be well rounded individuals. These students would focus on all parts of an education including emphasis on the physical, musical, and philosophical parts of the human body and soul. Aristotle thought that by making students aware of everything and not just studying and fixating on one subject, these students would become decent citizens and avoid a terrible human folly; ignorance. Thus, the purpose of an education is to avoid ignorance. Those who are truly educated are more informed of not only the traditional courses, but have the ability to understand and process new information in speedy and efficient ways.

Ignorance is defined as the lack of information, or the state of being unaware. As it is impossible for one person to have all the knowledge in the world, it is important that students be able rationalize and treat equally that which they do not understand. Education should create critical thinkers, students who realize there are not two sides to every story, but endless sides. The purpose of an education is to make the students into those who can become productive citizens. Citizens who can make informed decisions about their opinions and actions by drawing back on their prior knowledge from their education.

Similarly, ignorance is often applied to politics and international affairs. With thanks to the internet and social media sites, the world has become a much smaller and interconnected place. If many more people were able to take a step back, look at opposing or differing opinions and rationalize through their problems, human life would be extremely elevated. International conflicts and entire wars could be avoided if each side were able to be informed (as misinformation often leads to fear) and acknowledge opposing sides.

Education is forever changing and improving, but the idea of eliminating, or at least diminishing, ignorance at its base. Education today is undoubtedly better than education even a few decades ago, but (as with all things) it can be improved. It is this student’s hope that the world will have more neutral, open-minded, and informed citizens in the future who have had such an idealized education.