Education: The Key to Moral Progress

1. Education

2. What is Education? • “The perfect state makes possible moral autonomy and perfection; education must aim at the same end.” Kant, Philosopher • “All natural powers and faculties should be developed in a way that makes moral life possible for man.” Pestalozzi, Educator

3. What is Education? • “Education enables to formation of straight man; who are not willing to practice anything that would go agsinst the dignity and excelence of the sensible creature.” John Locke, Philosopher. “Education served to accelerate and facilitate the process of becoming a human being that was already underway.” Lessing, Educator

4. “(...) Education, rightly understood, is the key of moral progress, when the art of training the moral nature shall be understood as is the art of training the intellect, it will be possible to straighten a crooked nature as we straighten a crooked sapling. But this art demands much tact, much experience, and profound observation...” Allan Kardec

5. "It is through Education, even more than by Instruction that Humanity will be transformed." Allan Kardec, in Posthumous Works ≠ Education Instruction

6. The structure of The Spirits' Book presents us: • The existence of God; • The works of creation; • Man in an universal context; • The spiritual nature of Man; • The investigation of life after death; • The revelation of the law of reincarnation;

7. It studies the relationship between spirits and Man • It explains the law of adoration; • Future Joys and Sorrows; • Jesus is the most perfect type that God has offered to man as his guide and model; • The idea of an integral education.

8. The Spirits' Book projects: New knowledge A new conception of the Man; A new conception of the Universe; To draw Man nearer to God

9. HABBITS EXPERIENCES EVOLUTION LEARNING PRACTICE Representation of our Evolutional Process Primitive Matter of the Evolutional Process “Manufacture” of the Evolutional Stage (effective evolution)

10. “Love one another and educate yourselves” (Allan Kardec) “... Love God above all things and your neighbor as yourself...”(Jesus Christ) Love one another...

11. Educate yourselves... This is the instrument which gives the individual the ability to construct its evolution and happiness... enhances the intellect, the intelligence Knowledge reasoning and logics disciplines Education enables the understanding of the natural law Intellectual knowledge + Education “Morally-educated being"

12. The intellectual knowledge alone is not enough for the spiritual development of the individual.

13. WITH EDUCATION EXPERIENCES HABBITS A C T I O N KNOWLEDGE INTELECTUALIZATION WITHOUT EDUCATION LEARNING AND EVOLUTION EVOLUTION SELFISHNESS Wouldn’t this be the biggest problem in our present society ???

14. To progress spiritually… the individual… must search for the knowledge of the “truth” hence, the understanding of how the Natural Laws that rule the Universe workm including the Law of Love. “...know the truth, and the truth will set you free...”; • Discerniment • Understanding of the facts of life, nature and the relation of living beings How? Knowledge

15. The evolutionary process can not dispense “education”; that is, the use of reasoning within solid and defined ethical moral criteria, which could in summary be: “... Love and respect one another and the nature...”;

16. There are two main steps which need to be worked on in terms of education: • 1st) education given by the family and the society • it must be focusing on the formation of an individual who is holistic, honest, ethical, solidary... • 2nd) the individual’s ‘self-education’ process

17. 1st step: education for the family (fundamental) - show limits - practice ethics and moral factors (virtues)

18. Formal education – should focus on the the formation of an integral, ethical and solidarity individuals.

19. Self-education Will-power Watch and Pray Connect with God Be vigilant

20. laziness EXPERIENCES pride PRACTICES selfishness KNOWLEDGE INTELECTUALIZATION L O V E SOLIDARITY TOLERANCE SELF EDUCATION AND EVOLUTION INVIGILANCE AND LACK OF PRAYER STATIONARY EVOLUTION ACCELERATED EVOLUTION WITH VIGILANCE AND PRAYER

21. The worst ‘enemies’ to be fought for our own self-education process, which is imperative for our evolution and happiness, are: • selfishness • vanity • Lack of faith • pride • lazyness • superstition • prejudice;

22. We should aim to develop the following characteristics and attitudes: • Forgiveness • Tolerance • Solidarty • Honesty • Ethics • Hope • Charity • Faith;

23. “Those who are not educating themselves for goodness, searching for the truth or even contributing for others to have the conditions to educt themselves, even by setting up a good example to others; they haven’t completelly understood their mission here on Earth”. • Research done by: Arlete Länzlinger- CEEAK-Winterthur-Switzerland 2006

24. Sources: • The Spirits' Book Question 917 • Posthomous Work, Allan Kardec • Education in the The Spirits' Book (SPIRITIST VIEW ON EDUCATION – Marcus Alberto De Mario ) • Lecture “Attitudes, Education and Evolution” from Carlos Augusto Parchen, February 2002,www.parchen.hpg.com.br, www.cele.org.br http://www.ceeak.ch/portugues/evangelizacao/palestras-educacao.htm