Some Thoughts Concerning Education. By John Locke. Full Audiobook
John Locke's Some Thoughts Concerning Education is a collection of musings on the topic of education. Locke does not present a systematic theory of education, and the work reads more like an instruction manual than a philosophical text. Locke's is convinced that moral education is more important than other kinds of education. The goal of education, in his view, is not to create a scholar, but to create a virtuous man. More particularly, the aim of education is to instill what Locke calls the Principle of Virtue, namely the ability to subvert one's immediate appetites and desires to the dictates of reason .

According to Locke, the goal of education is to create a person who obeys reason instead of passion. The importance Locke places on this quality cannot be overstated: nearly two thirds of the book is devoted to an account of how best to instill this principle. While discussing how to best instill this quality, Locke addresses other related ideas. He says that learning should be enjoyable. There is no good reason, Locke thinks, that children should hate to learn and love to play. The only reason that children happen not to like books as much as they like toys is that they are forced to learn, and not forced to play. Locke sets out to show how learning can be a form of recreation. Among his proposals are that children should never be forced to learn when they are not in the mood; that they should never be beaten or spoken to harshly; that they should not be lectured to, but should be engaged in conversation; and that their ideas should be taken seriously. In addition, the boisterous, loud, and playfully unruly spirit of children should be cultivated rather than curbed. Any mischief that stems from the age rather than the character of the child should not be punished. Not only should the general temperament of childhood be taken into account, but so should the individual temperament of the child. Every mind, Locke tells us, is different, and what is right for one child is not right for another. The goal of education is to guard against any vices to which a child is predisposed. By tailoring children's educations to their characters, teacher not only obtain more effective results, but they also make the experience enjoyable. Locke also stresses the importance of habit and example in education, while downplaying the role of rules. Children generally do not understand rules, Locke claims, nor can they remember them. Teaching by rules, therefore, is counterproductive. The child will either end up being punished constantly and then giving up on the attempt to be good, or else the rules will not be enforced and the child will lose his respect for authority. Habit and example bypass the weaknesses of childhood by utilizing instinct in place of memory and reflection .

In summary, John Locke's Some Thoughts Concerning Education is a treatise on the importance of moral education and the methods by which it can be achieved. Locke emphasizes the importance of cultivating the Principle of Virtue in children, which involves subverting one's immediate desires to the dictates of reason. He also stresses the importance of making learning enjoyable, tailoring education to the individual child, and using habit and example rather than rules to instill good behavior ..
More: education, moral education, virtue
vice, well-bred, ill-bred
wisdom, foolishness, curriculum
interests, imagination, play
childhood, ineffectiveness of physical punishment, teaching foreign languages
table manners

00:00:00 Dedication
00:05:40 Some Thoughts Concerning Education
02:46:15 When Grammar Should Be Taught?

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