Education and Our Ideals of Life

AbstractA fundamental issue in education is that of the educational ideal. Most of the experts (in the field) considered (and still consider) that the educational ideal has changed – in time – together with society. Thus, they believe that each significant step in the human history corresponds to a educational ideal (respectively, of Antiquity, of the Middle Ages, of the Renaissance, of the Enlightenment, of modernity, etc.). The present study shows, however, that despite these successive types of educational ideals, younger generations have chosen and followed – throughout history – the same three types of ideals of life: pragmatic ideal, relational-institutional ideal and spiritual ideal. These ideals of life were consistent with the smooth operation of society, their individual requirements and skills (of course, when no external pressures interfered, such as family tradition or parents imposition)