Educational Perspectives in the Changing World

Noting the varying tasks & objectives of education in agrarian, industrial, & postindustrial societies, the place of the educational system in the world of tomorrow, marked by the progressive transition of the human species from its natural-biological foundations to a life in an artificial cyber-environment, is explored by formulating & commenting on ten theses: (1) the evolution of out planet & our species needs to be reflected by appropriate changes in the education system by making it more dynamic, flexible, & prognosis-oriented, (2) access to education should become a basic human right for all people on our planet, (3) higher education needs to improve the quality of specialist training, (4) education must be more fundamental (teaching the basic laws of nature & society) & differential (quickly adapt to new needs for experts & specialists), (5) education must provide ecovaleological teaching in which knowledge of the physical, psychological, & social aspects of noosphere (the part of the biosphere that is affected by human structures & activities) are integrated, (6) education of the future needs to promote the creative potential of humans, (7) education of the future needs to target the development of highly conscientious, humanist, & ethical citizens, (8) a larger portion of educational tasks should shift to home & family, (9) self- & distance learning opportunities afforded by computer technology should be utilized, & (10) education of the future must emphasize research aimed at projecting advancements in biotechnology into the daily lives of people. 13 References. Z. Dubiel