Montaigne: Education Education: Of the Term Paper

"Tis a sign of crudity and indigestion to disgorge what we eat in the same condition it was swallowed; the stomach has not performed its office unless it have altered the form and condition of what was committed to it to concoct." What is the point of a child knowing how to mimic his or her tutor, when the child cannot use the lessons beyond the classroom?

Historically, Montaigne sees Socrates' model of teaching by questioning as the ideal as proven and accepted as the best way to train the mind, rather than to simply stuff the mind with data. He laments "the custom of pedagogues to be eternally thundering in their pupil's ears, as they were pouring into a funnel, while the business of the pupil is only to repeat what the others have said: now I would have a tutor to correct this error, and, that at the very first, he should, according to the capacity he has to deal with, put it to the test, permitting his pupil himself to taste things, and of himself to discern and choose them, sometimes opening the way to him, and sometimes leaving him to open it for himself; that is, I would not have him alone to invent and speak, but that he should also hear his pupil speak in turn."

The purpose of education in an ideal view of history according to Montaigne has been give young individuals a space and span of time to make mistakes as well as to assimilate information, to reflect and become more whole persons and to understand their place in society, before they are forced to make a vocational choice or become citizens in the service of a nation, within the full social contract of a society.However, although the Socratic method is based in dialogue, Montaigne also stresses the need to teach a child how to be silent, and listen to others whether quick or dull.

Here, perhaps, one understands how the supposedly new idea of a world-educated or multicultural-educated child is not so new at all. Today's educators stress the need for their students to respect their fellow classmate's diversity of attributes and diverse experiences and cultures. One must be a profound listener to others' words, and comprehend the ways of other cultures and ways of apprehending the world to be a truly educated person. Thus it is not merely enough for a child to know the words, "I have a dream," but to generate ideas that create a more equitable society according to the principles of the often-repeated 1964 oration of Dr. Martin Luther King. It is not enough to learn a new language; a child must understand the worldview of an individual speaking that language, in another country, under different economic circumstances. It is not enough even for a doctor to be able to heal, the doctor must listen to the patient speak about his or her conditions, and decide whether aggressive or conservative treatments at the end of life are called for, in the patient's worldview. Thus, although Montaigne wrote his essay on education centuries ago, his words and principles still ring true as educators today to create a new generation of critical thinkers and speakers, who know themselves, yet who also strive through silence to know the cultures of the world better, before they go onto practice their selected livelihood and trade in life......