¶ … philosophy of education through a historical and then through an explicitly Christian lens, with a focus on the political role of education, and the Christian philosophy of John Milton. Milton's 1644 works Areopagitica and Of Education are invoked to justify the true Christian purpose of education as being exposure to the sort of free expression and free exchange of ideas that are guaranteed in America under the First Amendment.
What would a true Christian philosophy of education look like? The answer might actually be surprising to the majority of Americans who identify themselves as Christian and seek a Christian education. In 2014, frequently Christian education can seem retrograde, a form of ressentiment and indoctrination that derides Darwinism and has a greater interest in upholding a political consensus than in embodying the ideals set forth by Christ Himself. I propose to examine a Christian philosophy of education through a somewhat unique lens -- that of the greatest Christian writer in the English language tradition, the poet John Milton. Milton is most famous today as the author of Paradise Lost, an epic poem on the theme of Adam and Eve's expulsion from Eden, still routinely assigned to college English majors. However it is worth noting that in his own time Milton was a distinguished theologian, political activist and polemical writer, and even had some connection to colonial America. Politically Milton would rise to become a high-ranking member of Oliver Cromwell's protectorate government in England, but he was also connected with early religious figures in the American colonies. In particular, the founder of Rhode Island -- and the establisher of the first Baptist Church in America -- Roger Williams was a close personal friend of Milton, and would tutor Milton in the Dutch language while Milton tutored him in Biblical Hebrew. Indeed, Williams's biographer Edwin Gaustad notes that Williams's "friend, the poet John Milton, published a treatise calling for freedom of the press at the same time that Williams published his treatise calling for freedom of religion" (Gaustad 2005, 59). I bring these facts into discussion because it is Milton's treatise on freedom of the press (entitled Areopagitica) as well as his other writings on education that I will use as the lens through which a Christian philosophy of education can be examined. Understanding its relevance and connection to American freedoms in the earliest days will help to demonstrate the vital and enduring relevance of what Milton himself can add to the understanding of a Christian philosophy of education. It is worth noting, however, that this examination will fall into two parts: first I will approach the philosophy of education as a subject in itself, and then I will approach it again, from the angle of specifically Christian education, using Milton's writings as a philosophical guide.
Obviously education exists in most world cultures, under every conceivable religion. The question is what cultures hope to achieve by education. Looking at one of the world's oldest cultures, China, and its ethical code of Confucianism, it is worth observing that education plays a crucial role. Gutek (2011) states that "Confucius believed that human beings had the power to create a beautiful pattern of their humanness through education" (14). This "beautiful pattern" referred to by Gutek is, of course, nothing more than a system of social organization. In Chinese history, for example, it is worth noting that Confucianism presents an ethical code, but is not by definition a religion, because it makes no particular claims about God or anything beyond human understanding: instead, Confucius presented a system of relationships and hierarchies that would make social existence function more efficiently. In particular, however, Confucius emphasizes social hierachies in a way that would be utterly inappropriate for a twenty-first century democratic society: to understand that peasants automatically owe obedience to an emperor may, in fact, be a useful educational goal for the society that is reflected in Confucianism, but it is utterly pointless in a society with a different social structure. The Confucian philosophy of education is meant...
However, before citing parallels between Milton's ideas and the liberal divorce legislation of the later twentieth century one should note that in all instances Milton presents the man as the suffering party. He does not deny that the woman also might suffer, but consistently she is portrayed as the potential cause of the state in which 'instead of being one flesh, they will be rather two carcasses chained unnaturally
John Milton's poem, "When I Consider How My Light is Spent," is an excursion into doubt, with one's self and one's God. The poem is one man's attempt to reconcile his relationship with God since he feels his service to God has been hindered as a result of blindness. This paper will explore the notion of how Milton struggled with feelings of worthiness and justification and how he reconciled these
Thy anger had overshadowed me, and I knew it not. I was become deaf by the rattling of the chins of my mortality, the punishment for my soul's pride; and I wandered farther from Thee, and Thou didst "suffer" me; and I was tossed to and fro, and wasted Augustine's reflections in this passage brought into fore the fact that rebellion against the divine authority was, for him, through the
Military -- Analysis of World War I by John Milton Cooper John Milton Cooper, Jr.'s Pivotal Decades: The United States, 1900-1920, explores the political aspects of many societal arenas and war aspects. Rather than reciting mere historical facts, Cooper apparently knows underlying mindsets and motivations of acknowledged great men/groups and lesser known characters in early 20th Century history. His very facile discussions about political underpinnings and interplay, particularly during the War
John Milton and William Blake John Milton wrote work of poetry during the late 17th century. William Blake wourld write at the end of the 18th century and at the beginning of the following century. One lived during the tail end of the Restoration period and the other lived in the time of the Romantic poets. At a first glance, it would seem that the two poets John Milton and William
Milton and Shakespeare When comparing John Milton and William Shakespeare, it is interesting to note similarities and parallels between works such as "Julius Caesar" and "Paradise Lost." Indeed, the characters in both works show remarkably how the underlying politics in their relationships create a platform for the ultimate betrayal of the respective autocratic leaders. In his poem, "On Shakespeare," Milton shows his admiration for Shakespeare, as well as the common belief
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now