What does it mean to be educated?

MEANING OF BEING EDUCATED 1

What does it mean to be educated

Introduction

The HYPERLINK "http /www .m-w .com /dictionary /educated Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary gives several definitions for the word educate , including "to train by formal instruction and supervised practice especially in a skill , trade , or profession " and "to develop mentally , morally , or aesthetically especially by instruction " Another definition states that the purpose of education is to develop the knowledge , skill , or character of students . The first definition implies that the purpose of education is to provide a qualified

workforce for the economic prosperity of a country . On a personal level , it means that the purpose of education is to be able to earn a respectable living This linking of education to financial goals is degrading . Moreover , the term formal instruction ' associates a good education with a good schooling and ultimately with getting a degree . We should go beyond this dictionary definition - a definition that is often of little practical value - to explain the meaning of being educated . Similarly , when we hear the expression an educated person ' we immediately think of someone who has a bachelor 's degree and knows about what is going on in the world . What people fail to realize is that this is a narrow-minded understanding of the meaning of a good education . There are many successful people in the world today who have never been to college and have had little access to formal education . Thomas Edison , who is credited with more than 1000 inventions...