Abstract:

Ivan Illich criticized the mainstream of educational thought represented by John Dewey since the Enlightenment. Illich’s critique of Dewey took place in the “Long 1960s,” an era characterized by “counter-culture.” Ivan Illich’s ideas are closely related to “counter-culture”. Ivan Illich criticized John Dewey for ignoring, tolerating or fostering three hidden curricula of modern schooling: “control and compulsion” “escalation and progress” and “desire and expectation” Illich argued that these hidden curricula revealed the true nature of modern schooling. From this criticism, we could see their different views of the nature of education. Ivan Illich found that modern schooling is actually a myth-making ritual, It deviated from the essence of human education. It is the result of the institutionalization of values, and it also promotes the institutionalization of other values in the society, thus making the whole society become a “schooled society”. The institutionalization of values is at odds with the idea of freedom. John Dewey believed that the essence of human education should contain three dimensions: schooling centered on self-realization, schooling as political and ethical culture, and schooling as leisure. Different views on the essence of education are the products of different social ideals. Dewey’s social ideal is the ideal in society, and Illich’s social ideal is the ideal beyond society. Therefore, Dewey regards socialization as the essence of human education, while Illich regards enlightening the transcendence of human as the essence of education.

Key words: Ivan Illich, John Dewey, deschooling society, modern schooling, essence of education, modernity