A baby survives partly because s/he is unreasonable. Unable to speak and with still limited ability to think, the baby cries – or as any parent puts it, screeches. My No 1 son was a calm, lovable child for his first two years. His next brother, less than a year younger than him, screeched for his first two years. Non-stop. I remember discussing the merits of child murder with his mother. Her views were similar to mine. (He is, however, alive and well at 67-y-o.)
Childhood has usually been thought to be a happy time – mostly, I think, by those who have left it behind. Children should run about, shout, make a noise. All part of the halcyon days before exams, discipline, restriction and ‘compulsory beliefs’. I am certainly in favour of children enjoying their childhood. It’s just that I see a lot of them not doing so. The discipline necessary to deal with today’s world crosses the paths of both parents and children.
It’s getting worse.
Technology, rightly or wrongly – but absolutely inevitably – is forcing a form of growing up early whether we like it or not. Notice the small child waving his index finger to show he can handle a keyboard. Observe the young rushing to screen cartoons to have the cortex tickled by something creative. Hear the language of teenagers deteriorating into crude, unsustainable bawling. We cannot stop the world’s progress. The question is how to relate it to humanity.
We must now teach reason to the very young. This is not easy, as any Montessori expert will tell you. There is already so much to learn in Primary, is it reasonable to hope that ‘speedier reason’ should be added to the curriculum? In theory, yes. Some may say in practice it is not possible. I think it must be. The world already has many unreasonable people in it. That is why we have so much violence. Treaty agreements not to use technology, pandemics or certain specific arms won’t last.
We must educate the world to have reasonably reasonable people.
The designers of education are a clever lot. They can certainly work out how to up the rationality teaching of the very young but before it will work they must achieve two things. First, they must persuade governments of the need for what will be a major shift in how children are taught. That’s the easy part. Second, they must persuade parents of the need for reason if the world is to become a bearably habitable place. ‘Parents’ in this context includes industry, commerce, business and further education levels beyond Primary.
WIll this slow the technological advance humankind is so dramatically dedicated to? Certainly. But if it improves the Human Balance between Cunning and Kindness it will be a greater achievement than 0.001% of the world’s population establishing a new habitat on Mars. Whatever our faith or lack of it, the creation of a peaceful, humanitarian society is surely more important than the most comprehensive AI or the most brilliant technological success.
We do not all agree on the purpose of life but we are all clear that suffering and savagery should not be a part of it. We can use our capacity for reason to eliminate them.
If that means we will need to grow up earlier it will at least ensure that what we grow up to will be a better place.
Before Reason is stolen from us by Autothink let us learn it.
Does that sound reasonable?
Good morning
John Bittleston
There may be views – possibly strong ones – disagreeing with my suggestion. Please tell me about them at [email protected]. It’s how we learn. Thank you.
13 October 2024
