Kant’s View of Education
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) said that “man is the only being who needs education” 3 and that “man can only become man by education,” 4 advocating the importance of education. Kant’s view of education was influenced by Rousseau. According to Kant, the mission of education is to develop people’s natural gifts in a harmonious way, and to cultivate those who can act freely while following moral laws. Also, Kant asserted that education should not aim at adjusting to any particular society, but rather it should aim, more generally, at the perfection of humankind. Thus, he said, education must become cosmopolitan.
On the other hand, Kant recognized that there is in human nature a fundamental evil. According to him, evil comes into being when the moral law is subordinated to self-love. Therefore, Kant said that through inner conversion, one should come to place the moral law above self-love, and that duty so orders it. Respect for morality, trust in science and reverence for God characterize his view on education and on humankind. For Kant, the ideal image of a human being is that of a “good man,” and the purpose of education is to perfect one’s human nature as a cosmopolitan person, thereby establishing everlasting international peace.