这是我们与道格拉斯·奥尔德森的第二部分访谈。您可以在这里阅读第一部分。
对于加拿大和西方面临的所有问题中，现代教育的失败是最为严重的。对于历史、政府、公民意识和宗教知识未能教育好几代公民，使政府很容易滥用权力并侵犯公民自由。
教育最重要的部分并非是灌输知识，而是教授如何思考。以灌输为目的的教育无法培养批判性思维。
这种教育危机激发了退休律师道格拉斯·奥尔德森的灵感，他与他人合著了《从民主到加拿大司法独裁：权利宪章的未被告知故事》。
奥尔德森毕业于多伦多大学、奥斯古德·豪尔法学院和耶鲁法学院，拥有法律、哲学、国际关系、医疗伦理学以及加拿大和美国政府学位。他曾担任过遗产律师，曾任两位最高法院法官的助理，并为多个政府委员会担任顾问。
以下是我们关于现代教育和宪章的继续对话（已编辑以确保内容简练清晰）。
宪章似乎缺乏对家长权利的承认，甚至不承认家庭单位。安大略省的法律削弱了家长的权威和指导孩子重要决策的能力。您能谈一谈宪章、家长权利和家庭单位吗？
一方面，宪章不谈论儿童，而是讨论“每个人”、“每个个体”、“人”或“公民”拥有权利。不管宪章如何，法律上仍然规定父母对子女负有法定责任。此外，儿童在满18岁前没有法定权利投票：成年法律。
通过社交媒体，我们看到成年人很容易受到操纵。如今，儿童被操纵的情况也并不少见，这并不需要花费太多力气。这就是为什么现在正在学校中进行的斗争。
左派试图在学校中让他们的议程变得正常化，教授的价值观与我们关于男人和女人是什么，对责任公民是什么的犹太/基督教理解背道而驰。这是有问题的。
省份、教育部或者说也可以称之为灌输部的规定和各个学校董事会的规定。如果家长不关注课堂上正在发生的事情，那么将会出现巨大问题。如果要为目前的教育方式分配责任，你可以归咎相当大的一部分责任于各个学校董事会、尤其是教师工会、省级议会以及教育部。
但坦率地说，我认为最大的责任应该在于家长。很多家长一整天都在外面工作，他们孩子的教育只是为了方便提供托儿服务。每个人一天结束都疲惫不堪。孩子会做作业吗？父母甚至了解作业内容吗？你必须具备一定的纪律和结构才能做到，这意味着这是一个关乎如何养育的问题。
我们可以轻易地谈论有关育儿技巧的危机。多年来我认识了一些非常好的父母。我愿意认为我的父母也是很好的。他们虽然不是完美的，但我和我的兄弟姐妹接受了公立学校教育。我们必须做作业。尤其在小学的时候，晚上要遵守一些规定。你需要某种程度的例行公事来成长，尤其当你是个孩子的时候。但是如今，例行公事是个坏词。纪律是个坏词。
今天，
When parents express a desire to stay informed about their children’s education, it sometimes leads to a legal dispute regarding the curriculum or parental notifications. From my perspective, there is nothing inherently problematic with parents understanding what their children are being taught. Children should not be considered mere subjects of the government. However, this issue is often viewed through a Marxist framework, as Marxism does not value the concept of family.
According to Marx, the family and the state are in conflict. In Marx’s ideal society, children are educated in state-run schools, which is the current model of our educational system. This means that the state dictates the content of your children’s education. If you discover that your children are being taught values contradicting your own beliefs or faith, and you voice your concerns, you might be labeled as controversial, homophobic, racist, or face other derogatory labels for opposing the progressive agenda. This is a significant challenge.
When attempting to challenge the teaching of certain materials based on charter rights, it is unclear which section of the charter one can use. Is it freedom of association, conscience, or speech? Conversely, there seems to be no valid charter justification for why school boards cannot adopt a curriculum aligning with parents’ desires, reflecting traditional Judeo-Christian values such as those found in the Ten Commandments.
On another note, the charter is crucial, particularly for those within the separate school system. It is vital to note that both the Charter and the Constitution Act of 1867 explicitly acknowledge and safeguard Catholics’ rights to educate their children in harmony with their faith’s principles. The separate school system is constitutionally protected and holds precedence over the Charter. Even the Ontario Human Rights Code recognizes these guarantees. One essential value in the Catholic and Christian faiths is “honoring your father and mother.”
An apt example of these values is the inconsistency of a school board policy that withholds parental notifications with the commandment to “Honor your father and mother.” Similarly, any curriculum endorsing extramarital sexual relationships contradicts the commandment “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”
The ongoing issue is clear: many teachings in today’s schools directly conflict with Judeo-Christian values. For separate school boards, why do they not uphold their values and resist the prevalent ideologies? Their failure to act represents a significant loss of moral and intellectual integrity, indicative of the pervasive decay in numerous institutions.
Living in an era of equality, any form of discrimination is deemed unacceptable. Not educating children about homosexual practices is considered discriminatory, further compounded by the complexities surrounding gender. Gender is a linguistic concept; in reality, there are two biological sexes: male and female. Although stating this fact may lead to controversy nowadays, it remains a biological truth. In essence, the archaeological evidence from thousands of years ago will only reveal two types of skeletons: male and female. There are no trans skeletons, homosexual skeletons, or lesbian skeletons—it is merely a binary classification. This assertion might be deemed contentious and attract criticism.
mark.Education appears to be a focal point in the ongoing cultural debates, not only in Canada but also in numerous Western countries. Could you share some of your encounters with education, highlighting past strengths of universities and schools, alongside current issues you observe in modern education?
I can recall my time in public elementary school, where we dedicated half an hour each week to studying Bible scriptures. This involved exploring stories from the Old Testament, the Gospels, or various parables. Rather than instilling specific beliefs, it aimed to introduce students to biblical narratives. Acquiring a basic understanding of the Bible stands as a fundamental step towards comprehending Western civilization from various perspectives, irrespective of one’s religious stance.
Contrary to the past practices, this aspect of education has now been largely abandoned for a range of reasons. Upon reflection, the most significant shift or flaw in the educational system is the diminishing emphasis on nurturing critical thinking skills.
Rather than fostering critical thinking, current education tends to lean towards indoctrination, shaping children not in the art of critical thinking, but in prescribing what to think. Questioning the reasons behind established norms is discouraged.
For instance, when students are taught about the constitution, they are presented with a poster listing all the rights it guarantees, and the teacher conveys, “Here are your rights – liberty, free speech, etc.” Little room is left for further discourse, which could delve into deeper philosophical considerations or prompt reflections on how these rights are inherent to one’s humanity, not bestowed by the government. These fundamental freedoms of expression, assembly, and conscience are intrinsic to human nature, integral for personal development, as individuals are inherently social, rational, and moral beings.
During my high school years, we had an exceptional Latin teacher who, sadly, was never replaced after his passing. Not too long ago, students had the opportunity to learn Latin, French, German, and delve into various languages and historical subjects. This comprehensive curriculum has been diluted as contemporary educational leaders fail to grasp the significance of Latin studies. Learning Latin transcends mere vocabulary acquisition; it offers insights into a civilization, diverse thinking paradigms, and the structural foundations of grammar, refining one’s English language skills and cognitive abilities. Understanding Roman heritage is as crucial as comprehending the Old and New Testaments, given that Western civilization’s roots are deeply intertwined with Rome, Jerusalem, and Athens – the foundational cultures of our heritage.
Progress over the past 2,000 years has undeniably propelled us into greater scientific realms. Technological advancements stand as a testament to our achievements. However, when it comes to essential facets like arts, philosophy, and politics – the perennial concerns echoing through millennia – we find ourselves grappling with similar issues today as our predecessors did centuries ago. Thus, exploring works of thinkers like Cicero remains pertinent for gleaning valuable insights. Regrettably, such profound knowledge finds scant space in today’s education.
While the younger generation might excel with iPads, bypassing manual calculations using calculators poses a substantial void in their educational journey, negating the chance to learn traditional methods like utilizing slide rules. I reminisce about my high school days when pocket calculators gained popularity; my math teacher prohibited their use in class, encouraging us instead to rely on slide rules, imparting invaluable skills in the process.
如何使用滑尺。使用滑尺，您可以通过机械界面与数字互动，并更好地理解数学的本质；它不仅是一门语言，还是一种机械结构。然而，这种教学方式如今已不复存在，我认为人们并不理解数学的含义以及它所蕴含的乐趣和趣味。遗憾的是，因为数学和数字是解释现实的一种方式。尽管不是解释现实的唯一方式，但绝对是一种非常有趣和有力的方式。这涉及到人类繁荣的概念。生活中愚昧无知并非正道。如果您选择这样做，那是您的选择。但生活中有太多更有意义的事情。大脑是人体中最重要的器官，无疑也是最强大的。但如果您不训练大脑，不努力学习一些知识，不成为更好的人，实际上您就浪费了生命。虚度光阴是非常令人悲哀的。
这就引出一个关键：学习是我们天生就具备的。我们对周围世界自然而然地充满好奇。所有科学的存在基本上是因为人类希望了解周围的世界。我们不仅希望了解彼此和自己，还希望了解周围的世界。
人类有能力提出“为什么”的问题。为什么会这样？我如何证明？我们对科学的理解直接源自犹太-基督教的传承，因为科学是由中世纪的学者和其他相信上帝使宇宙可知的人发展起来的。
一旦您从宇宙是可以被认知的前提出发，那么遮蔽现实的神秘面纱的想法就消失了。犹太-基督教传统确实有其神秘之处，但也有其知识之处。其中之一是承认西奈山上的上帝是一个让自己被认知的上帝，以多种方式显现自己。但我们必须运用我们的大脑。
这正是批判性思维的重要性所在。批判性思维之所以重要，是因为批判性思维的直接结果就是能够审视一些事物，比如听取政治家、公共卫生官员或其他人，即所谓的专家的发言，并能够判断他们是否在说真话。这正是教育应该让您具备的能力。这是您接受过良好教育的标志，而不幸的是，有太多人做不到这一点。他们会相信任何事情。他们会相信媒体或政治家告诉他们的任何事情。
如果有人自称具有道德权威或自称告诉您该做什么或应该做什么，您需要具备判断他们是否在说真话的能力。这就是教育所提供的。不幸的是，孩子们并未被教授这种基本技能，而如今，这是一项生存所必需的技能。他们从教育中没有获得这一技能。出于各种原因，有些人在其他地方找到了这种能力，但绝大多数人没有。
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