Anali za povijest odgoja, Vol. 2 No. 2, 2003.
Izvorni znanstveni članak
Twentieth Century – a Step Forward or Backwards in the Field of Pedagogy
Ante Vukasović
Sažetak
The 20th century enriched the world with many scientific victories, but it also brought impoverished feelings of humanity. Fascinated with profusion of scientific insights, people began to neglect ethical values. Without the faith in moral goodness of people, without respect for ethical criteria and values, human dignity and humanity – there is no and there can be no human achievements. By uniform utilitarian emphasising of material goods and hedonistic emphasising of easy living and pleasures, an illusion of progress and better world is created, but in fact, there is more and more evil in the world, and not less. Personal benefit and irrational pleasure take people to the path of inhumanity. Morally degraded world turns into a stage of injustice, violence and crime. The final balance of the past century shows that it was a century of the highest scientific confirmation and moral degradation in general. People are facing self-destruction. If humanity is to survive, it needs to return to ethical qualities. Pedagogical circumstances, in conformity with social definition of education, follow general social trends. In the field of pedagogy, education made a lot of progress in the 20th century, but it has largely neglected the education as a tool for building morality. This is a central thought and the main thesis of this paper and is composed of four parts: A step forward to education; A step backwards in education; Tragic consequences and Several conclusions. Educational achievements are witnessed by new educational needs, democratisation of education, longer period of schooling, advancement of school planning and programs and innovations and achievements in teaching technology. These are, beyond doubt, indicators of achievements in the field of education. A completely diff erent picture is shown by a more subtle process of education in terms of refining, enriching people and building them morally. However, in this field, it seems more appropriate to talk of decline, than of advancements. This is confirmed by the fascination with scientific insights, devaluation of values, moral crisis, pedagogical and liberal deceptions and general neglect of education. Youth is on the brink of abyss and is partly in it. Young people are victims of the street, roads, anti–social groups, night clubs, cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, sexual indulging and their conduct is unrefined, they participate in criminal acts and even serious crimes. This is our sad reality and a great evil. And what are the consequences? The most painful and the greatest toll are dead, handicapped and morally fallen boys and girls, victims of physical and moral degradation. It is often said that society should be protected from aggressive conduct of young people, but it is more important to preserve the youth from the so called modern society.
The time has come to sober up. Moral and educational crises must be contained, ethical and educational values are to be reaffi rmed and the flux of uncultivated conduct to be stopped. Finally, we have to understand and accept the fact that it is better to raise children systematically and in a responsible manner, than to pay sins by children victims of social carelessness and neglect in education. If human life is the highest value in this world, and the youth are the only support and the guarantee of future, then we must protect children and youth from fatal attack of destructive culture of death and senselessness. If the future of society rests on human capabilities and virtues, then our primary task is to build capable, human and morally responsible people. The fate of our community is like a race between education and disaster, and the future depends on the result of this race.
Ključne riječi
Hrčak ID:
334749
URI
Datum izdavanja:
31.12.2003.
Posjeta: 402 *