Harmful is in history, in religions, and in other similarly controversial fields. Such topics touch upon the interests that sustain the existence of schools, and these interests maintain the schools so that specific views can be channeled.
In each state, history is taught in such a way that the image of it is magnified: children learn to believe that their own country has always been on the side of justice and almost always victorious, that it has been the birthplace of nearly all great men, and that it is, in every way, superior to other countries.
The reason modern education rarely achieves great results is that it is almost never inspired by any great hope. The desire to preserve the past, instead of the hope to build the future, dominates the minds of those who control the education of youth.
Education should not aim for dry information, but should be an activity directed towards that world we are struggling to build. It should draw its inspiration from a radiant vision of the coming society, from the triumphs that thought will achieve in the future, and from the ever-expanding horizon of human exploration of the universe.
Bertrand Russell
