Education and William James

Education There are many definitions of education, many people have different options of education and how it should be taught. I however will explore three definitions. William James' definition who was a philosopher and psychologist will be explained. I will use an online dictionary. Lastly, Webster's Universal English Dictionary definition for education will be explored. William James states that, "Education, in short, cannot be better described than by calling it the organization of acquired habits of conduct and tendencies to behavior." When you are educated, it seems that your conduct and tenancies toward behavior would be different from that of an uneducated person. An educated person would associate the knowledge they have retained in a different manner than an uneducated one. I agree with this definition. I have noticed how different people act and on the norm people, who a well educated, tend to be well spoken and seem to take time to time before they react. They have more information than a less educated person does. The online dictionary tells us," The act or process of educating; the result of educating, as determined by the knowledge skill, or discipline of character, acquired; also, the act or process of training by a prescribed or customary course of study or discipline. Education also seems to be a process of acquiring knowledge and training. I agree with this definition although I feel as if it is incomplete. Education I think can also be learned though experience. It is one thing to be educated on a particular subject and another to experience it in real life. Webster's Universal English dictionary explains it as, "The process of learning and training, instruction as imparted the schools, colleges, and universities a course or type of instruction the theory and practice of teaching." This is an excellent definition however, learning can occur on the job, interacting with others and in the field. Schools, colleges, and universities do an excellent job in teaching people how to think. Experience in my opinion teaches people how to react to a given circumstance. I believe people need some of both to be a well-rounded educated person. In conclusion, William James' definition of education describes the full scope of what education is. The things we learn are organized into different subjects. The more you know in a particular subject or behavior the more likely you are to react in what society would think is appropriate. A person without the same education might not react the same way because they do not have the same information.

References
Education. (2004). In Webster's Universal Dictionary. New Lanark, Scotland: Geddes& Grosset
James, W. (1899). Talks to Teachers on Psychology. The Atlantic Monthly. [Online]. Available: www.emory.edu/EDUCATION/mfp/tt4.html. [2005, May 27}
Education. (2005). Online Dictionary. [Online]. Available: www.onlinedictionary.com/education.html. [2005, May 27]