Education, Instrumentality, and the Lessons of Useless Art
Ruitenberg C.
2022
Educational Theory
0
10.1111/edth.12531
In this article, Claudia Ruitenberg argues that the debate for or against instrumentalism in education is less fruitful than (a) a debate about the ends worth striving for, regardless of whether education is the best means to that end; and (b) a debate about the educational practices that are currently valued in and of themselves, regardless of whether these will turn out to serve other ends in the future. Using examples from visual art and examining arguments for and against “art for art's sake” and “education for education's sake,” Ruitenberg argues that education designed for instrumental purposes is already infected by a certain uselessness, while education that supposedly serves no purpose outside of itself “suffers” from a certain usefulness. © 2022 Board of Trustees, University of Illinois.
aims of education; instrumentalism; l'art pour l'art; liberal education; uselessness; utility
John Wiley and Sons Inc
Article
Scopus