You are born with powers of mind like reasoning and imagination. They come with the package. But to use them well, you need a rich base of knowledge. This guide tells you why.
Our background knowledge is always working. We perceive, analyze, and create based on what we already know. We just don’t notice; it works below the surface of our awareness.
Education matters because it provides a broad base of knowledge that underlies our everyday life.
John Schmitz is a philosopher of education. He was an assistant professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the director of the AIM Lab. After twelve years living in Argentina, he is back in the USA and teaches college courses in critical thinking and ethics.