What counts as an educated person?

It may seem obvious that all educational activities – policy, organisation, curriculum, teaching – depend on what one means by ‘education’. But it is clear from the references to the many practices identified in this paper that what is regarded as educational by some, especially those who shape policy, would be regarded as grossly mis-educational by others. It all depends on what one means, and that is why philosophical thinking (especially in the realm of ethics) is so important. What counts as an educated person in this day and age? To answer that question requires first an analysis of what it means to be and to develop as a person (the growth of knowledge and understanding, the development of moral seriousness, the sense of community) and then to critique the ‘depersonalisation’ of the experiences which now shape the so-called educational system and its practices. Watch your language (and read George Orwell’s 1984).