The end of education
by Neil Postman · first published 1995
6mentions
4recommended by
5HN commenters
2009–2026first – last mentioned
80% recommend20% neutral
In this brilliantly challenging response to the education crisis, Neil Postman returns to the subject that established his reputation as one of our most insightful social critics. Starting from his belief that schooling is now too often a trivial pursuit, a mechanical exercise, he argues with stunning clarity that we have lost sight of the inherent value and substance of learning, and sets out to restore it for our time. Postman begins by portraying the American education of an earlier part of this century, when we knew what schools were for - to create a coherent, stable, unified culture out
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I had the enormous privilege of having a teacher who assigned both The End of Education and Amusing Ourselves To Death by Neil Postman my junior year of high school. I can't recommend them enough; reading them was one of the formative political experiences of my life. We live in dangerous…
on “Huxley vs. Orwell: Infinite Distraction Or Government Oppression” ↗In his wonderful book The End of Education, Neil Postman recommended error-detection as a powerful teaching/learning method.
on “Getting it Wrong: Surprising Tips on How to Learn” ↗…management, soft skills, etc as universal mandatory classes even though the world we live in requires these skills on a daily basis Neil Postman makes in depth analysis in his books, and particularly The End of Education. I can also go for ages with examples from my practice and what I see, and you can downvote me as much as U like. It doesn’t chang the fact that organised schooling is a byproduct of Industrial Revolution…
on “Airfoil” ↗…society. As a medium it supports certain messages better than other, ex. emotion. * "Technopoly": defines the difference between tool-using and technocratic societies and impacts it has on society. * "The End of Education": what is the purpose of an education system.
on “Ask HN: Thought-Provoking Books” ↗…There are winners and losers. Winners are those make use of the new technology. Losers are those that cannot. The more technology permeates our lives, the more this disparity will permeate society. The End of Education[1] discusses the purpose of education and ways to pursue that end. The end of public education, in his view, is to create a public. A society with common goals and a common narrative. What I appreciate…
on “Jonathan Haidt: AI Is the 'Neutron Bomb for Education' [video]” ↗I found "The End of Education" (http://www.amazon.com/End-Education-Redefining-Value-School/...) an interesting (if not completely persuasive) argument that earlier education should be more about teaching values (for example, consider…
on “Why Innovation Can't Fix America's Classrooms” ↗