The Purpose of Education
Education is the soul of human society and the foundation of civilisation and culture. It is not merely a means to acquire material skills or economic advancement; rather, it is that transformative process which illuminates a person’s character, consciousness, morals and inner being. It is through education that individuals become truly human and nations attain refinement. In every era, education has had a purpose. But when that purpose changes, it is not only the structure of education that is affected—entire societies are shaken at their intellectual and moral core.
The essential conception of education in former times rested upon two fundamental purposes: first, to cultivate wisdom and insight; second, to adorn the human being with virtues and moral excellence. That is, education was to ignite the intellect and consciousness, while also refining the self through a process of moral purification. This was the vision upon which the golden eras of human civilisation were built for centuries.
However, modern education has drastically altered that vision. It has not only redefined the purpose of education but also replaced its philosophical foundations. Where once the centre of education was “truth” and “reality”, today it is “pragmatism” that holds sway. Pragmatism is a modern philosophical movement which asserts that the truth of any idea, belief, or theory lies in its practical efficacy and utility. According to this principle, truth is that which yields results, and any idea that fails to produce tangible outcomes is deemed invalid. In this way, truth is no longer seen as something permanent, universal or absolute; instead, it becomes a relative, interest-based, and transitory notion.
This pragmatism is, in fact, a modern extension of utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is a moral theory that judges the goodness or badness of human actions based on their consequences, and its central principle is that those actions are moral which produce the greatest happiness for the greatest number. Thus, the basis of human ethics is not intention or reality but the result. While this theory outwardly speaks of human welfare and collective good, within it lies a perilous ideology that closes the doors to moral development and spiritual elevation. For when outcomes become the sole criterion for ethics, then values such as truth, justice, integrity, altruism, and sacrifice become meaningless, and every act that brings temporary gain is readily accepted.
It is for this reason that when a nation’s educational system is built upon pragmatism and utilitarianism, its effects are not confined to curricula, teaching methods, or assessments alone—rather, the entire intellectual and moral framework of the nation is reshaped. Such a society emerges in which individuals understand only the language of utility, where the aim of knowledge is restricted to employment or economic advancement, where truth is discarded if it demands sacrifice, and where education births neither illumination nor insight. This is why minds emerging from modern education, though technically skilled, are spiritually hollow and morally paralysed.
This is the critical juncture at which we must pause and reflect. We must re-centre truth as the foundational principle of our educational vision—truth that transcends outcomes, is free from interests, and remains unwavering under all circumstances. Truth must become the criterion for all things: for knowledge, for ethics, for politics, for economics. Pragmatism and utility may have their place, but only when they are subordinate to truth—not when they oppose it. That is, truth must be the measure; pragmatism should affirm it, and utility should support it. If this order is reversed, education will remain a technical function but will no longer serve as a meaningful force in shaping life.
The foremost demand of the age is to establish an educational system that rekindles in students the passion to seek truth, that gives them the discernment to prefer truth over benefit, and that cultivates within them a willingness to make sacrifices in its pursuit. Education should not merely be a process of acquiring information or preparing for examinations; rather, it should be an intellectual and moral journey that elevates students to the heights of wisdom, awareness, understanding, and insight.
True education is that which awakens the intellect and thought, and within the domain of truth nurtures contemplation, inquiry, research, and analysis. When students learn to think under the guidance of truth, depth emerges in their thinking, clarity develops in their reasoning, and they move closer to wisdom. This is the very wisdom by which a person not only understands his own problems but also becomes a source of reform for society.
The natural consequence of such education must also be that students become morally upright, noble in character, and spiritually pure—people who are mature not only in mind but also illuminated in heart; adorned with values such as honesty, humility, dignity, service to creation, altruism, and forbearance—traits that refine their individual selves and ennoble society at large. These virtues arise only when knowledge is connected to truth, wisdom, and insight.
This is the conception of education that we must return to. We must rebuild our educational system on the foundation of truth, and accept pragmatism and utilitarianism only when they align with that truth. Otherwise, we will produce nothing more than skilled robots, not awakened human beings.
Disclaimer: This article was translated by AI. Original post: https://t.me/DrAkramNadwi/6428
