There’s an article by Jules Evans in today’s Times on a new movement called ‘positive psychology’. It’s quite an interesting piece, beginning with 11 year olds learning the basics of Stoic philosophy.
Perhaps the most positive thing to come out of it is Geoff Mulgan (former head of No.10 policy unit) saying that: “Wellbeing will be the major focus of government in the 21st century, in the way that economic prowess was in the 20th century and military prowess was in the 19th century.” It would be fantastic if education really were to offer quality of life, rather than simply preparing a machine.
Of course, as with any proposal, there are problems. Training in ancient philosophical techniques may prove useful when attempting to deal with one’s problems, but are they as useful as learning a trade? Should we be teaching people how to accept their circumstances, or how to change them? And does encouraging people to accept their circumstances simply reinforce an unjust status quo? After all, Seneca may not be the best person to teach children about the joys of life.
Yet the importance of ’wellbeing’ in education is not about giving an answer to what makes a worthwhile life and how it can be achieved, but realising that such questions are important. They are not there to replace skills based lessons, but it is important that we understand that they, too, have a place on the curriculum. ‘Wellbeing’ is not simply teaching children stoic philosophy, but encouraging them to engage with the thoughts and emotions developed through centuries of art, music and literature. They may conclude that Stoicism is nonsense, but we ought to equip them with a way to think about these matters.
