Acquire Quote by Herbert Spencer
“If there be an order in which the human race has mastered its various kinds of knowledge, there will arise in every child an aptitude to acquire these kinds of knowledge in the same order. So that even were the order intrinsically indifferent, it would facilitate education to lead the individual mind through the steps traversed by the general mind. But the order is not intrinsically indifferent; and hence the fundamental reason why education should be a repetition of civilization in little.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Principles of Sociology, 1860
Suggests that education should follow the natural order of knowledge acquisition, mirroring civilization’s developmental stages, because this order is not neutral but essential.
In simple terms: Education should follow civilization’s knowledge order.
Key Takeaway
Align teaching with developmental stages.
Themes
education
development
civilization
Mood
analytical
critical
Type
philosophical
educational
When to use this quote
- school curricula
- pedagogical theory
Key Concepts
cognitive development
historical progression
Questions to Reflect On
- Is there a universal knowledge sequence?
- How to adapt curricula for diverse societies?
A Different Perspective
Assuming a single universal order may ignore cultural differences.
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