Democracy and the individual

Educating a human child is a very different activity from, for example, training an animal, be it our beloved dog or a trained dog. Education is the great challenge of every generation of humanity throughout the ages. It is education that ensures the transmission of science, know-how and good manners. It is through education that societies preserve from generation to generation the values and knowledge acquired by their elders. It is education that also ensures the progress of societies by opening the minds and hearts of the young people of each generation to new challenges. We might ask ourselves whether todays world needs the thoughts of John Dewey and Jacques Maritain. Are they outdated, or can these authors, who are classics in the philosophy of education, still speak to our educators who live in a different era?