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WORDS IN THE BLUE; EDUCATION AND PUBLIC OPINION

‘Education’ is a concept which is not very close to the ground. By this, it is not a concept like ‘red’ which picks out a simple quality, like ‘horse’ which picks out an object, or like ‘running’ or ‘smiling’ which pick out observable occurrences. We do not ask ‘Are you instructing him in algebra or are you educating him in algebra?’ as if these were two alternative processes. But we might ask ‘Are you educating him by instructing him in algebra?’ ‘Education’, in other words refers to no particular process; rather it encapsulates criteria to which any one of a family of processes must conform. In this respect it is rather like ‘reform’. ‘Reform’ picks out no particular process. People can be reformed, perhaps, by preventive detention, by reading the Bible, or by the devotion of a loving wife. In a similar way people can be educated by reading books, by exploring their environment, by travel and conversation—even by talk and chalk in a classroom. The concepts of ‘reform’ and ‘education’ have proper application if these processes satisfy certain criteria.
Public opinion is important in a democracy because the people are the ultimate source of power. Therefore, any government official has to take public opinion into account when deciding how to act. Freedom of speech and expression is the cornerstone of democracy. But it can be relatively well manipulated through the media and other sources and used to maintain the status quo and allow representatives to make decisions based on their interests.

The battle for power, recognition, acceptance, and that which is contained in the Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs has been a major problem in the human race and as such affects the free flow of information, effective communication as well as individual opinions.

What we see and perceive as public opinion are those opinions the mass media has taken upon them to form and maintain as the dominant opinion in the society, because the mass media is one of the most important gauges of public opinion. The overwhelming irrational power of public opinion brings about the concept of spiral of silence and most at times this is at the expenses of the growth and development of the society. The misconception about the true meaning of education is one of the major reasons why people especially youths fail to develop their potentials not just for themselves but also for the society at large, because of the faulty belief that education is all about or revolves around going to school and obtaining a certificate or degree whether legally or illegally, they are educated.

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