One hundred and fifty years ago, America’s educational curriculum consisted of reading,

writing, and basic arithmetic. A mastery of three topics was all that was necessary for a person to
be deemed “educated.” Fast forward in time to present day and the term is not so easily achieved
or understood for that matter. With the inundation of information in all topics ranging from
philosophy to science and the growing complexity of global communal relationships in the past
century, the term has becoming increasingly difficult to pin down. Education can now not only
include traditional topics such as history and science but also moral instruction and life skills.
Many systems of education exist; however, the question remains as to what it truly means to be
educated. Education is not merely what an individual knows; it reaches past facts and asks for
utility: how do pieces of information relate to one another, how can they be used to improve the
status quo, and how do they contribute to a holistic understanding of the world?
The educational philosophies that have formed throughout history can be seen as attempts
to answer the pendulum problem. The pendulum problem is the central issue that exists in
defining education and its purpose. On one side lies knowledge - pieces of information that can
be memorized, such as the weight of a hydrogen atom or the year that Roanoke disappeared. On
the other lies experience - hands-on learning which stresses doing rather than knowing. Each
side, when considered, bears substantial importance in the educating process; however, shifting
the stress of an educational system too far to either side poses great dangers. By evaluating the
essential position that each plays in education and realizing the harm in swinging the pendulum
too far to either side, the true meaning of being educated is discovered.
It is impossible to deny the importance that knowledge holds in the educating process,
for, indeed, it is the attainment of knowledge that makes all other facets of education possible. As
Diane Ravitch, research professor of education at New York University rightly notes, it is
“disciplinary knowledge” that enables students to “make sense of the world” (2). Memorization
is not something to be feared, as a broad base of factual knowledge is the foundation of a true
education. What must be feared and actively fought against, however, is an education that plants
itself on this side of the pendulum alone, such as the job-readiness programs that exist in many
colleges today, which, according to Vartan Gregorian, the former president of Brown University,
serve only to cram the information necessary for a single career into students’ heads, never
stopping to help them see a larger framework (1). Thus, though factual knowledge is the
cornerstone of a true education, it cannot exist alone, for with facts alone an individual is left
with a toolbox full of tools but no understanding of how to use them.
Swing over to the other extreme of the pendulum and experience is found, a progression
from the first step of attaining knowledge which must occur for education to have any kind of
value. The stress of experience on “doing” fosters the ability to place knowledge into a larger
framework, which is a key result of being educated. Gregorian wisely recognizes that “synthesis
and systematic thinking...are invaluable” (1). If one cannot integrate facts together and
understand how they relate, they are worthless. Today’s world is one that is constantly changing
and evolving, which, as Sanford J. Ungar, president of Goucher College, writes, calls for “a
subtle understanding of the complex influences that shape the world we live in” (1). A storehouse
of facts is of little use in a world in which facts quickly become outdated and replaced by newer
ones as research and understanding advance unless the facts are understood as being part of a
larger framework of meaning. Like the opposite side of knowledge, however, if the pendulum
swings too far to the experience side, education is compromised. Experience is only beneficial
when it is being used as an applicator of knowledge. When knowledge is taken out of the
equation, experience becomes just as useless as facts are when alone. For instance, when Jeremy
Rifkin, author and lecturer, redefines intelligence as “an experience that is shared among
people,” the necessary presence of knowledge is ignored and education is in true danger (4).
Ravitch recounts a time in history when this danger was realized: in the 1930s a group of
children in Roslyn, Long Island, were not able to read but were instead taught to make nut bread.
He bluntly exposes the problem with adhering to the experience side of the pendulum: “skill-
centered, knowledge-free education has never worked” (1). So much focus cannot be given to
experience that the necessary foundation of education - knowledge - is lost.
Thus, both knowledge and experience are integral parts of forming an individual that can
both succeed in and contribute to the local and global community and are therefore key
components in becoming educated. Of the many educational philosophies that exist, the liberal
arts philosophy best rises to the challenge of balancing the two. Covering all areas of the
academic spectrum, from rhetoric to music, a liberal arts education, Ungar explains, equips
students with the ability to understand dense and intricate concepts and find solutions to issues
they will encounter in the future (2,4). A solid foundation in knowledge is built upon to bring this
result by experiences that foster critical thinking, such as group projects. Rifkin lays out the
premise behind group projects: the knowledge of the group will generally be greater than that of
the individual and, thus, by working together the group and each individual will gain knowledge
(4-5). This educating style serves as a paradigm for a process that values the attainment of a
broad base of facts that can be utilized to understand the surrounding world - a true education.