A Subject's Wider Contribution
A Subject’s Wider Contribution
The second kind of suggestion
- The contribution a subject makes to large educational functions that are not its own primary purpose.
Science’s contribution to four areas of human relations
- Personal living: health, self-assurance, interests, a satisfying world picture.
- Personal-social relations: mature relationships at home and with others.
- Social-civic relations: responsible participation and social recognition.
- Economic relations: occupational guidance, vocational preparation, wise consumption.
The second kind of suggestion is the more surprising one. It is the contribution a subject can make to other large educational functions that are not the primary function of the subject itself. A subject does not only serve its own ends; it can serve broader human purposes too. Science again makes the clearest example.
Science beyond science
A report on science in general suggests that science contributes to four major areas of human relations, none of which is strictly about science as a discipline.
- Personal living. Science contributes to a person’s health, their need for self-assurance, a satisfying world picture, a wide range of personal interests, and aesthetic satisfaction.
- Personal-social relations. It helps meet a learner’s need for mature relationships, both within home and family life and with adults outside the family, and for successful, mature relationships with age-mates.
- Social-civic relations. It helps meet the need for responsible participation in socially significant activities and for gaining social recognition.
- Economic relations. It helps meet the need for emotional assurance of progress toward adult status, guidance in choosing an occupation, vocational preparation, the wise selection of goods and services, and effective action in solving basic economic problems.
Beyond these four areas, science may also help encourage reflective thinking, creative thinking, aesthetic appreciation, and tolerance.
| Area of human relations | What science contributes |
|---|---|
| Personal living | Health, self-assurance, interests, world picture |
| Personal-social | Mature relationships at home and beyond |
| Social-civic | Responsible participation, social recognition |
| Economic | Occupational guidance, wise consumption |
What a subject offers to large functions beyond its own domain
Science, for example, contributes to personal living, personal-social relations, social-civic relations, and economic relations, and can encourage reflective thinking and tolerance, none strictly scientific.
Personal living, personal-social relations, social-civic relations, and economic relations
These are functions beyond science itself. Science can also encourage reflective and creative thinking, aesthetic appreciation, and tolerance, all valuable for non-specialist learners.
How was this article?