Monday, October 23, 2006
Great Quote
Today's quote of the day, "Only the educated are free" by Epictetus, is one of my favorite quotes. How much truth is wrapped up in that one small statement? Ignorance is slavery of heart, soul, and mind. Only by learning about ourselves, each other, and the wonderful world around us can we grow the wings we need to fly over the walls of the prison that holds us. Great quote. Really, really great quote.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
A great quote, but depends entirely on what is meant by "educated." People have extremely varied opinons as to what constitutes an education...
ReplyDeleteIs it purely acedemic? If so, at what level does a person become educated? Highschool? College?
Or perhaps it just means well-read. However, is it factual info or literature that's more important? Is a well rounded person more educated than someone specialized in a single subject?
In fact, are acedemics even meaningful at all? Maybe skills and practical knowledge are most important. Is a philosopher, clueless about plumbing, more educated than a plumber, clueless about philosophy?
If a government of radical religious extremists provides a quality education for its children that instills in them certian values, are these children freer because of their education? Aren't they instead slave to the specific way of thinking taught to them?
So, if it's true that some education can actually create less freedom... how can anyone ever be sure they are truely free than through purely independent, original thought.
Education is anything, be it learning a skill or a fact, that opens the mind to more possibilities than it previously recognized. Sometimes this comes in a classroom; sometimes this comes at the feet of teacher/master.
ReplyDeleteThis quote isn't arguing religious dogma or socio-economic caste, since at its purest education includes neither of those things. It is acknowledging that only those who look around them with curiosity and a desire to sate that curiosity are going to have any chance of bettering or enjoying their lives.