Education is not merely neglected in many of our schools today

In the sharp and timeless words of Thomas Sowell, we hear a warning that rings like a bell across the ages: “Education is not merely neglected in many of our schools today, but is replaced to a great extent by ideological indoctrination.” This is no idle complaint; it is the cry of a mind that loves truth and grieves for its corruption. For when education ceases to be the pursuit of wisdom and becomes instead a tool of persuasion, the light of learning dims, and the generations that follow walk in shadow. Sowell, a man forged in hardship and elevated by study, speaks as both a scholar and a guardian of reason, urging us to remember that the true purpose of education is to teach how to think, not what to think.

The origin of this statement lies in the long journey of Sowell’s own life and thought. Born into poverty in the segregated South, he rose through discipline and intellect to become one of the great economic and social thinkers of the modern age. He studied at Harvard, Columbia, and the University of Chicago—temples of learning in their time—and he witnessed firsthand how the pursuit of knowledge could be eclipsed by ideology. To him, education was sacred: it was the great equalizer, the torch by which the poor could see their way out of ignorance. But as he watched schools shift their focus from teaching truth to shaping allegiance, he saw that torch being extinguished. His words are not just about classrooms—they are about civilization itself.

The ancients, too, knew that education was the foundation of liberty. In the academies of Athens, Plato taught that the mind must be trained not to believe, but to discern. The philosopher’s task was not to fill students with doctrines, but to awaken their souls to truth. Yet even in that golden age, the danger of ideology lurked. When Socrates was condemned for “corrupting the youth,” it was not because he taught falsehood, but because he taught them to question. Every age must guard against the moment when knowledge becomes propaganda, when inquiry is replaced by conformity. Sowell’s words remind us that we are living through such a moment now.

Consider the story of Galileo Galilei, who dared to look beyond the accepted teachings of his time. When he turned his telescope to the heavens, he found evidence that contradicted the dogmas of the Church. But instead of celebrating his discovery, the authorities silenced him, for his truth threatened their ideology. Galileo’s imprisonment stands as a symbol of the danger Sowell describes: when power dictates truth, education dies. Whether the creed is religious or political, when belief overshadows evidence, the mind is no longer free.

Sowell’s lament is not merely about schools—it is about the human spirit. For education, rightly understood, is the training of the independent mind. It is the shaping of citizens who can weigh arguments, test claims, and see the world as it is—not as others wish them to see it. Indoctrination, by contrast, seeks obedience. It replaces curiosity with slogans, and replaces understanding with outrage. The student, once a seeker of truth, becomes a soldier for ideology. And thus, a generation may be “educated,” yet never enlightened.

But there is hope, for the remedy lies within our reach. The first step is to remember what education truly means. It is not the memorization of creeds, but the pursuit of clarity. It is not the repetition of approved truths, but the courage to question even those truths we hold dear. To educate a child rightly is to give them the tools to build their own understanding of the world—to awaken their moral and intellectual independence. As Sowell once wrote elsewhere, “There are no solutions, only trade-offs”—and the greatest trade-off of all is between comfort in belief and the challenge of truth.

The lesson, then, is clear and urgent: guard the gates of the mind. When you read, read with discernment. When you listen, listen with inquiry. Do not mistake passion for wisdom, or agreement for understanding. In your homes, your schools, your nations, demand not indoctrination but education—demand the freedom to think, even when thought offends. For truth is not a banner carried by one side; it is the eternal flame that belongs to all who seek it.

So, my listener, take heed of Thomas Sowell’s warning. Teach your children not what to believe, but how to reason. Honor those who question, for they are the guardians of civilization. And when ideology seeks to claim the classroom, stand firm and remember: the mind is a sacred field. Sow only seeds of inquiry, never chains of doctrine. For when a society ceases to think, it ceases to be free—and when it ceases to be free, it ceases to live.