Educational Authority and Challenge of Freedom: From Ancient Times to Summerhill
Educational Authority and Challenge of Freedom: From Ancient Times to Summerhill

Summary/Abstract: The article is primarily concerned with the relationship between authority and freedom. From the pedagogical point of view, freedom comes from authority because to be free means to be able to express self-control in order to choose only what is good. Educational authority isn’t tyranny because the educator must be coherent and must act as he/she teaches. The main challenge to educating people and to people in education – both of them – is to be able to practice virtue, not only to recognize values. Nowadays, especially the “bad conduct” of youths, people are increasingly concerned about their relationship with permissive educational practices. In fact, the problem revolves around the fact that boys and girls have learned but are unable to lead themselves, they involved in addictions (drugs, alcohol, internet…) and they show their weakness in concrete decisions. It isn’t a matter of knowledge, but of will; it is related to the lack of will towards self-care. Why are boys and girls who attend school, are well informed and without economic problems not determined to reject what is bad not only from the moral point of view, but also from the point of view of their health? Because they are not educated to fix limits to their desires: that problem is related to the lack of authority because authority makes us able to face limitations. For this reason it is necessary to reconsider authority within educational theory and practice.

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