Research Paper: Education’s Impact on Societal Progress

📌Category: Education
📌Words: 940
📌Pages: 4
📌Published: 07 February 2022

According to Greek philosopher Diogenes, “the foundation of every state is the education of its youth” ("Diogenes Quotes”). Whether it be formal or informal, education has become an integral part in the development of society. Especially in modern day societies, democracy cannot prosper without educated citizens, since education exposes people to different perspectives and viewpoints. Therefore, a solid education creates more knowledgeable voters, and consequently, education helps a democracy flourish. Moreover, citizens require a solid education to elect qualified leaders and support the best policies for the nation. Education also aids in fostering democratic ideals such as liberty and equality, which subsequently helps facilitate a just society. In a similar manner, a strong education equips citizens with the skills and knowledge to understand complex societal issues and develop their own opinions. Without an efficient education system, people will be unable to fulfill their duty in a democratic society because they will not be able to vote knowledgeably. A rich education is the backbone of any modern day society because it aids in the development and the spread of new ideas, leading to social, political, and economic progress.

To expand on the impact of education, a proper education can influence a person’s thoughts and perceptions by helping them develop new ideas. Education allows people to challenge their preconceived notions by introducing them to different viewpoints. This concept can be explored in the Ancient Greek philosopher Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave.” In this text, Plato explains a how education can influence a society by using a hypothetical scenario where men are shackled by the hands, feet and neck inside a cave, and forced to watch the shadows of images displayed on walls; eventually the men start to believe that they are watching the real thing, and they are only able to learn about the truth once once one of the men is forced out of the cave. In this allegory, the man being dragged out of the cave is symbolic of how education influences a society by exposing people to different perspectives. The shackled men’s society is only able to progress once they challenge their existing ideas about reality. This process only occurs once they receive new knowledge. Identically, our society can only evolve once we are exposed to different ideas and subsequently question our own viewpoints, which can be done through a solid education. The allegory mirrors how education leads to societal progress by exposing us to new ideas and forcing us to challenge our preexisting notions. 

On the contrary, an underdeveloped education system often leads to the reinforcement of oppressive power structures in a society, since education can be used as a tool of social mobility. Jamaica Kincaid, a professor of African American studies at Harvard University, describes how a lack of rich education can hinder societal progress in“Girl,” where the narrator’s community uses education as a way to reinforce patriarchal ideals. Assuming that the narrator is speaking to her young daughter, it is unclear whether the daughter receives any formal education, however, the education she receives from her mother predominantly serves to fortify society’s patriarchal structures. The narrator does this by teaching her that her main purpose is to serve and please others. For example, the speaker teaches the narrator how to “behave in the presence of men'' so that “they won’t recognize immediately the slut [she] has warned [her daughter] against becoming” (Kincaid 150). By teaching her this, the speaker hinders the progression of their community by reinforcing society’s oppressive, misogynistic ideas about women. The mother continues to impose society’s opinions on women onto her young daughter by teaching her that people will view her as a slut if she behaves in a certain way. Subsequently, the narrator restricts her daughter from speaking to new people and learning about new viewpoints. Because the narrator’s daughter is prevented from having new experiences, she is unable to be exposed to different ideas and experiences. Consequently, society is not able to progress, socially, politically and economically because previously held ideas are not challenged and new ideas are not spreading. 

On the same note, society is unable to progress economically if its citizens do not receive a full and balanced education because they lack employable skills that can help them acquire jobs. Catherine Riegle-Crumb, a professor and researcher of race, gender and education inequality, Barbara King, a researcher of racial and gender inequality in STEM, and Yasmin Irizarry, an assistant professor who researches social inequality, analyze the opportunity hoarding and the racial gap in STEM education in the research paper, “Does STEM Stand Out.” The study concluded that “compared to their White peers, both Black and Latina/o students have significantly higher probabilities of switching out of a STEM major and completing a degree in a non STEM major” (Riegle-Crumb 233).  As indicated by the large wealth gap between White, Black and Latino people, a lack of a full and balanced education, particularly in STEM fields, may be one of the contributing factors preventing the economic success of some minority groups. In other words, society is often unable to progress economically if education doesn’t consist of a variety of different subjects, STEM included. This serves as another example of how a rich and balanced education is the backbone of a prosperous society as it leads to general progress. 

As previously stated, a solid education is the foundation of a prosperous society because it helps facilitate the development of new ideas, leading to social, political and economic progress. A proper education system is essential in any modern day society as it aids in the evolution of new ideas, and thus, the progression of society.  As these new ideas spread, people will be able to challenge their previously held beliefs, eventually leading to social, political and economic progress. However, just as a rich education can help society flourish, an imbalanced education system can prevent society from progressing, as seen in the way an underdeveloped education can reinforce oppressive structures and a lack of balanced education can prevent economic stability. Overall a rich education with a variety of different subjects aids in the development of new ideas, and thus helps society progress.

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