论教育的有用性与无用性

On the Usefulness and Uselessness of Education

教育不只是有用的,教育也是无用的,教育的无用不只是无用之用,也是真的无用。教育的有用性与无用性绝非对立而是相对独立存在,不能以前者遮蔽后者。有用性主要指教育可对人和社会的发展产生积极影响,但无论人还是社会的发展,教育的结果经常是可逆的。有用性主要体现为教育过程中人的知识增长与技能提升,相比之下,教育对成人或实现卓越的作用具有不确定性,有成功案例亦不可复制。有用性主要反映接受了教育的人对物质世界的改造,强调可见功绩,但接受了教育的人在实践中发挥的作用不能简单等同教育的作用。与改造世界相比,教育的精神性及其之于人精神生活的重要性,更能凸显教育的本体价值。

Education is not only useful,but also useless.The usefulness and uselessness of education are not opposite,but exist relatively independently,which couldn’t replace one with another.The usefulness of education mainly means that education could have a positive impact on human and social development;regardless of human development or social development,the role or result of education is often reversible.The usefulness of education is mainly reflected in the growth of human’s knowledge and the improvement of skills in the process of education;in contrast,education is uncertain for adults or the realization of excellence,besides that successful cases cannot be copied.The usefulness of education mainly reflects transformation of the material world by the educated,stressing the visible achievements;however,the role of the educated cannot be simply equivalent to that of education.Compared with transformation of the world,the spirituality of education and its importance to human’s spiritual life could highlight the ontological value of education.