Scholars and philosophers have debated the purpose of education throughout history. Some have argued that education was necessary for an engaged citizenry; some felt its purpose was to promote obedience and indoctrinate youth to dominant cultural ideas; still others believed that the pursuit of knowledge was in itself a virtuous or even spiritual goal.
Today, conversations around the purpose of education tend to center around child development and the economy—that is, how education can help children grow into healthy, competent adults who are able to support themselves financially and contribute to society.
Some experts warn, however, that excessive focus on the economic and pragmatic benefits of education deprives the process of joy. Humans—especially children—are natural learners, they argue, and learning may be most valuable when it’s pursued for its own sake.
关于教育的目的，古今中外的学者一直都是有争论的。以下有几种关键比较主流：一，教育是成为现代公民的必须条件；二，教育就是要让年轻人服从社会的规则，并接受和融入主流的社会价值观；三，追求知识本身就是一种美德，一些人将学习视为精神追求。
如今，儿童发展和经济效益是教育目的这一话题的热点，也就是，教育该如何帮助儿童成长为健康、具有竞争力的成人，让他们在成人之后经济自足并能够对社会做出贡献。
然而，部分专家指出：这种过度关注经济效益的教育行为，降低了孩子们在学习中的快乐感受，我们人类，特别是儿童，是天生的学习者，应当为自身发展而追求学习，这才是学习的价值所在。
文章来自：Education | Psychology Today
翻译：韩树老师
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