Curriculum as Praxis - Friere

Friere's "Pedagogy of the Oppressed" is an interesting and ideologically infused read. Friere asserts that it is the duty of the education system to infuse a spirit of inquiry and activism into students. Friere states that "the true word - which is work, which is praxis - is to transform the world." His goal is to create dialogue and justice. This is admirable, and I am sure there was no malice in Friere's mind when he wrote - there are, however, problems.



Friere's goal to liberate and eliminate class distinction through the education system is Utopian and unrealistic. An examination of human existance, from the extermination of the neanderthal, in prehistory to the construction of Babylon, Egypt, Greece, Rome, Europe, and America, tells us that humans do seek to dominate eachother. The intellectual in all of us can identify ethical minefields in the establishment, expansion, and consolidation of every human enterprise. These breaches of ethics and morals reveal an innate desire to gain, control, and dominate. To change human nature seems an unrealistic goal for an education system.



Proof of this point exists in the practical application of Friere's "Pedagogy of the Oppressed". University students of education laud the moral fibre of Friere, then proceed into the profession and accomplish almost nothing pertaining to emancipation of the masses.