Bildung/ Education

Have you ever wondered what it means to be educated? Is it possible to define the term
“Bildung”? Bildung is a German term, a central concept in the German tradition of Educational
philosophy and research.
Although the term Bildung, in the past has been translated into the English term “education”, this
translation is seen as being to broad to capture the meaning of the German term. The most usual
practice in English academic literature today is to use the original term Bildung.
Today, an educated person may be seen as a person who has knowledge and judgement that
exceeds one’s profession; the person is broadly culturally and politically, oriented; he or she
understands both science and technology, and now, as before, cultivates him or herself with the
fine arts such as literature, theatre, visual arts, and music.
Historically, the origin of the word Bildung comes from “Bild” meaning picture; this was first
actualized in the Christian idea of man as created in the image of God. Later we find it in the
German enlightenment conception of human beings as self-educating.
Self-education presupposes a self and a world. The self strives toward expressing and developing
its individuality. The world represents the unity of nature, culture, and society all with their
powers of influence. According to the German philosopher Wilhelm von Humboldt (1767-1835),
the purpose of Bildung is to unite individual and culture in a rich, free, and harmonious mutual
interplay. Bildung designated a comprehensive cultural, political, and educational programme for
the people, freedom of speech and a new pedagogy, largely inspired by the French philosopher
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778).
In the Anglo-American sphere, Bildung was tied to the seven liberal arts, first and foremost the
classical literature, from St. Augustine to Shakespeare and to the modern novel.

Please read the very short summary of bildung education model and write at least two
paragraph regarding the questions below. You are encouraged to think about your own
experiences and integrate them into your writing:

Summary:
The philosophy of Bildung as German educational model to cultivate individuals who are not
only specialized in their fields of study but equipped with the comprehensive knowledge ranging
from science to arts. In other words, Bildung educational model aims to craft an individual with a
broad general knowledge, especially one with more than superficial knowledge in several areas
and the ability to combine ideas from diverse fields.
Questions and points to consider:
Do you think a university education should be based on bildung model? or only educate people
only in their desired field?
You may take following points into consideration:
What are the pros and cons of bildung model?
Think about you own experiences. You may be a science student or a nursing student who is
taking English class or vice versa. If this is a case, do you think if it will be necessary or helpful?
Does it make any difference for your educational goals?
Should a science student only be educated in the fields of science? or a student of humanities or
social sciences only be educated in their own field?