What is education? This question is very hard to answer and in thestudy of the sociology of education in Japan, we have not thought aboutit seriously. So in the study of the sociology of education, the meaningof education has not been studied, but families, schools or communitiesin which children, pupils or students are taught have been mainly studiedsociologically. What we want to know seriously is the meaning of educationand the interrelationship between education and society which had tobe studied scientifically. Education is essentially the communication of skilland knowledge from adults to children. In education, children will growup and be socialized. So children become socialized men or “zoon politikon”.(“Zoon politikon” is the expression of Aristotle. If a man hasrelations with other men, then he can become the human being.)
N. Wiener (a mathematician in the United States), in his “Cybernetics”, argued the relationship between communication and society andpointed out that the structure of society is the network of communication.This suggests that education, as we have implied, is one of communicationin society. If a man is in the network of communication, he canbecome the human being, as Aristotle thought. If not, he cannot becomethe human being. In order that all men in society become thehuman beings, they must be in the network of communication. Andwhen this situation is maintained, we enjoy liberty, equality and philanthropyin our society. On the other hand when each of us can be freeand equal and enjoy philanthropy, we are in the network of communication.In order that all of us enjoy liberty, equality and philanthrophy, poverty must be removed out from our society. Therefore, educationas one of communication in our society, must save us from the socialpoverty.
The study of the interrelationship between education and society is thestudy of education and poverty. We must study how we must be educatedto live in the society without poverty.
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