82 CHAPTER 3: The World Origins of American Education Independence and the Constitution embodied such Enlightenment principles as the natural rights of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness, and republican government free from absolutism. The discussion of the influence of the Enlightenment on education is continued in Chapter 4, Pioneers of Teaching and Learning, and Chapter 5, Historical Development of American Education.
Summing Up 1. The skills and tools of preliterate societies helped them survive in an often-hostile environment. To ensure a group’s survival, adults passed on these skills to their children. Through the stories, songs, and myths, these societies transmitted their cultural beliefs and values to the young. The use of an oral tradition remains an important part of education as individuals and groups are encouraged to tell their stories. 2. Educators in ancient China, especially Confucius, sought to use education to promote social and political harmony. Confucius devised a hierarchical system of ethics in which every member of society had particular duties and responsibilities that they were expected to fulfill. Children knew exactly was what expected of them. Confucianism remains an important cultural and educational influence in contemporary China, Japan, Korea, and Singapore, as well as for many Asian Americans. 3. The ancient Egyptians developed hieroglyphics, a script that enabled them to record their knowledge of medicine, embalming, engineering, and their religious beliefs about the afterlife. The need for literate officials led to the development of scribal schools where teachers taught reading and writing.
4. The ancient Hebrews developed the religious concept of monotheism, a belief in one God as Creator of the world. This concept was shared by other religions such as Christianity and Islam. It became part of the Judeo-Christian tradition that has influenced Western, including American, culture. 5. Many Western and American ideas about education, especially the liberal arts and sciences, originated in ancient Greece and Rome. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and Isocrates developed concepts of the educated person, rational inquiry, freedom of thought, and the ideal of liberal education. The concept and methods of rhetorical education were devised by the Sophists, refined by Isocrates, and further developed by the Roman rhetorician Quintilian. 6. Scholastic educators in the Middle Ages sought to reconcile Christian doctrines and scriptures with Greek and Roman classical learning, especially Aristotle’s philosophy. The idea of the university as an institution of higher education originated in the medieval universities of Paris, Bologna, Oxford, and Cambridge. 7. Islamic scholars made advances in medicine and mathematics that were transmitted to Western educators. They also
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1690 1700 1710 1720 1730 1690 Locke’s Two Treatises on Government published
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