Education and the Philosophical Ideal by Horatio W. Dresser - Read the Complete Text for free at NewThoughtLibrary.com

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Horatio W. Dresser's

Education and the Philosophical Ideal

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Preface - Introduction - The New Point of View - Educational Ideals - Equanimity - The Subconscious Mind - The Spiritual Ideal in Childhood - An Experiment in Education - The Expression of the Spirit - An Ideal Summer Conference - The Ministry of the Spirit - The Mystery of Pain and Evil - The Philosophical Ideal - The Criteria of Truth - Organic Perfection - Immortality - Index - p. 247

shall consider more at length in a later chapter. But, accepting it as the most important phase of the discovery that man is a creative agent, it is evident that each man's educational experiment should as early as possible be adapted with this social ideal in view. Individuality is no doubt an end in itself, yet it becomes truly itself only as it is contributory, and we must keep the social ideal in sight in order to lift education to the spiritual plane. In this way we shall avoid the eccentricities which so often characterise a merely individualistic experiment in education.

Frankly accepting life as an experiment, with the knowledge that each soul is essentially unlike all other souls, yet designedly so, that it may creatively add to life's social evolution, it is clear that we must adapt all educational methods to this infinite variety, and depart as far as possible from all mechanical standards. Since education at best is only the means, while the soul is the end, education should be inspired by knowledge of its sacred function a calling out to the full of the individual creative power of each soul recognised as of special worth in itself.

It is clear, however, that educators may err in their zealous emphasis of the individualistic side. While each soul needs specific attention and an individually favourable environment, there are many ideals which may be realised in common, there is culture which everybody needs. For example, everyone must learn self-control, everyone must

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