ABSTRACT
Instruction in wisdom divinely revealed to the priests may be the central curriculum in a particular society, where the thoughts and actions of individuals are shaped in the light of the revelations. Through the writings of such as Descartes and Locke, the Age of Reason began to challenge divine revelation by subjecting traditional knowledge to critical scrutiny until in the work of Darwin central Christian truths suffered a devastating attack. In rebellion against the coldness of rationality, there is the turn towards the romantic: the focus upon nature, emotion, and the irrational in human life. The critical curriculum is composed by an examination of present experience through a process of problematization. A core curriculum, defined by some central body for the entire education system, takes the design of a curriculum out of the hands not only of pupils but also of their teachers and local education authorities. Classroom processes always have some degree of negotiation.
