“Smoking Skull”
by M.C. Escher

“School of Athens”
by Raphael

Introducing Capitalist Education

In a capitalist economy, education is carefully crafted to graduate students prepared to fill slots the economy has available. Indeed, this will be so in any rational society. In capitalism, however, about 80% of the economic slots require actors who can primarily endure boredom and obey orders. Thus, this becomes the main true focus of capitalist education — to convey these two “attributes” to most students.

Others must exert creativity, to be sure, but in many cases on behalf of even richer souls, or themselves, at the expense of those beneath. These graduates must learn various skills and informations, but also how to ignore the plight of people they perpetrate ills against.

Then there are a relatively few souls who pursue areas of activity that are largely divorced from social implications, who may actually get an education that not only prepares them to fit existing economic slots, but also preserves and facilitates their true talents and humanity — but not many.

There are a multitude of means to accomplish all the above ranging from simple tracking with schools, to the relative apportionment of resources to different schools, to the character of texts and curriculums and classroom rules, to the make up of higher education, as well.

Introducing ParEcon Education

In a parecon, the economy needs each incoming actor to be as well educated and trained in their preferred pursuits as possible, as well as inclined to engage socially, to exert initiative, to participate and have agendas and a capacity to advance them, and so on.

The educational virtue of fulfilling the capacities of each student and the pragmatic need of the economic institutions turn out to be in virtually perfect accord. While the exact methodologies, no doubt many, that will be appropriate in different spheres and stages of learning will undoubtedly only emerge from experience, and even then no doubt come in many shapes and forms — what is clear about parecon is there is no economic impetus to facilitate anything other then the fullest and freeest learning experience for every citizen, throughout their lives.

Evaluating Capitalist Education

If the goal is to subordinate the many to the few capitalist education is highly functional and effective.

If the goal is to nurture the talents and potentials of each student to the fullest, consistent with their all becoming socially skilled and inclined, capitalist education is about as counter productive as one could plausibly generate.

Evaluating ParEcon Education

If the goal is to subordinate the many to the few parecon education is highly dysfunctional and ineffective.

If the goal is to nurture the talents and potentials of each student to the fullest, consistent with their all becoming socially skilled and inclined, parecon education is about as suited to the tasks as one could plausibly generate — precisely because these are its sole motivations and there are no impediments to their pursuit.