The Purpose of Education

The Purpose of Education

What is the purpose of education in our current world? According to Martin Luther King in The Purpose to Education, education is not merely learning to succeed at a job, and be above others. He believed that education was about learning to think critically, logically and scientifically through what invades our mental life. He also saw that in school, one builds intelligence and character. King presents a good argument for the reason and necessary of education. Therefore, the purpose of education is to provide students with the opportunity to critically think about the world in such a way that it shapes how they live. 
Education explores new ideas and teaches students how to think critically about the world. As students are introduced to new concepts their worldview changes and expands. Students look at the starry night differently after learning about constellations and the galaxies. The meaning and possibilities of what is before their eyes have expanded. The media is bursting with propaganda and prejudices. Education at its best, teaches students not to merely memorize and accept information, but to examine and see many sides of an issue. It is important to be able to question your own and other peoples positions in the process of making a decision. This enables people to see through discriminations and biases in media and in the world around them. With this knowledge, students can form their own opinion of the people group or issue versus blindly accepting biases as the truth. Students can be exposed to the world in a new way, and learn to critically think for themselves.