Christian Alternatives to the Myths of Knowledge Education in Curriculum

ABSTRACT

There could be false myths on education, which could cause various social and educational problems. Thus we need to check wether there is any false belief in education. The purpose of this paper lies in criticizing some myths in knowledge education, exploring alternatives to them from a Christian perspective. In chapter Ⅱ, I criticized the myth of objective knowledge. The cognitive structure of objectivism depicted the knower as the arrogant spectator who actively manipulates and exploits the known, while it described the known as the passive object possessed and governed by the knower. Thus the relationship between the knower and the known became hostile to each other. Unlike this, Christian cognitive structure emphasized the reconciled relationship between the knower and the known. In chapter Ⅲ, I dealt with the myth of value-neutrality and instrumentality of knowledge, discussing the purpose of knowledge education. Here I explained that value-neutral and instrumental knowledge could hurt people. I also argued that any human social practice already implied its internal goods. So teaching knowledge should include teaching internal purposes and goods of each practice, so that we could revive people’s lives and the welfare of the community. In chapter Ⅳ, I examined the myth that the foundation of knowledge was human reason and experience. I told that knowing God was the foundation of knowledge, showing the limits of human reason and experience.