THE survival of the fittest is a brutal reality in nature.

The strong prosper and the weak perish. Solitary survival is unsustainable, so even lions form cooperative prides. Humans, on the other hand, established societies to escape the jungle mindset. The strongest shouldn’t be exploiting the weak to govern our communities. Empathy, compassion, support and shared benefits are how humans survive. The purpose of education is to cultivate those qualities. However, in the twenty-first century, education often becomes utilitarian economic training. The focus on technological advancement, military power and economic growth contrasts with the lack of focus on education’s moral and social objectives.

Education, according to John Dewey, is a social function, not a private enterprise. He noted that communities revitalize by integrating inexperienced members into their social structure and that education is a nurturing process. Thus, education exceeds mere skill transfer. It’s a collaborative undertaking to teach each generation community values. Dewey argued that beliefs and attitudes are not “hammered in” but learned via social interaction. Education should help people “achieve the legitimate goals of their life with increasing ease,” as well as teach them to think critically and develop moral character. Being intelligent isn’t enough on its own. The objective of genuine education is intelligence and character. Paulo Freire, whose book is a classic, saw education as a fight for humanization. He stated that dehumanization is a historical fact of injustice and exploitation; however, he said the vocation of humans........

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