Adrian Bejan | Education, Indoctrination, from Design in Nature
The video contrasts education with indoctrination, making clear that the essence of learning lies in exchange rather than one-way transmission. True education is described as a dynamic enclosure where ideas travel in both directions, teacher to student and student to teacher, creating sparks that deepen understanding for all. In contrast, indoctrination is a rigid, one-way channel that silences dialogue, reflecting control rather than growth.
Education is presented as a two-way process in which both the giver and the receiver are engaged. Writing by hand is encouraged, as it enables learners to internalize and reinterpret the material, transforming it into a personal understanding rather than a passive reception.
Indoctrination, by contrast, is a top-down and one-directional process. It relies on a single voice filling the space, surrounded by silence, leaving no room for questioning or reinterpretation. The ideologue insists on a single idea, agreeing on the only possible outcome of such an encounter.
The danger of indoctrination lies in its refusal of reciprocity. Unlike education, which grows from the interplay of different perspectives, indoctrination eliminates the possibility of disagreement or discovery. It enforces silence, and in silence, the spark of learning disappears.
To avoid indoctrination, learners are encouraged to break out of passivity, engage actively in discussions, and contribute their ideas. Participation ensures that education retains its character as a shared process, one that produces insight both for the teacher and for the students.
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Umit Gunes, Ph.D.
Assoc. Prof. | Yildiz Technical University
Editor | International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer
Guest Editor | Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A
Guest Editor | BioSystems
Web | umitgunes.com