Summary of LA FALSA EDUCACIÓN (Ortega y Gasset) - ¿Cuál es el ABSURDO del ESTUDIANTE en el SISTEMA EDUCATIVO?

00:00:00 - 00:25:00

Ortega y Gasset discusses the absurdity of the student in the educational system. He argues that the student's desire for knowledge is heterogeneous and perhaps antithetical to the state of mind that led to the creation of knowledge itself in more straightforward terms. The essayist asserts that science does not exist before its creator, and that the desire for knowledge is a vital, scientific need that then leads to the pursuit of research and eventual publication of results.

• 00:00:00 José Ortega y Gasset starts his discussion of education by stating that there are two main aspects to studying: the "true" meaning of the word, and what it is actually able to do. He argues that studying can be seen as a false reality, because one of the elements it contains is the ability to be false. This makes studying one of the most common and persistent ways in which people deceive themselves. He goes on to discuss how the student's experience in school is often one of boredom and emptiness. He argues that this is because the student is not able to think critically or autonomously, and is instead caged by absurd, monotonous tasks and empty experiences. He concludes that, in order to understand the educational system, it is necessary to look at one of the most eminent Spanish philosophers of the 20th century, José Ortega y Gasset.
• 00:05:00 In both cases, the author discusses the idea of a "need" for a certain kind of knowledge that is not necessarily fulfilled by simply having the knowledge itself. In the first example, a person can feel the genuine and internal need to walk around for hours, even though they are sitting in a comfortable position. In the second example, a person might feel the need to accept a forced requirement to study something, even if they don't really want to. Taking all of this into account, the author suggests that the student's dilemma is one of bivalence, in which they are forced to choose between two opposite needs. He then goes on to suggest that the problem with the student is that they are not truly committed to either of these needs, and that they will not be able to achieve success in acquiring the knowledge they desire in this way. Finally, the author suggests that the student's dilemma can be solved by asking them to question the true meaning of the words "study" and "student." In doing so, he encourages the reader to view the student as a human being who is subject to the same needs as everyone else.
• 00:10:00 The Spanish philosopher Ortega y Gasset discusses the absurdity of the student in the educational system. He argues that the student's desire for knowledge is heterogeneous and perhaps antithetical to the state of mind that led to the creation of knowledge itself in more straightforward terms. The essayist asserts that science does not exist before its creator, and that the desire for knowledge is a vital, scientific need that then leads to the pursuit of research and eventual publication of results. He goes on to say that the passive student who only studies science will avoid any questioning of its contents, while those who are driven by a legitimate need for knowledge will approach it with caution and suspicion. In the end, the brilliance of these students would be in creating science themselves, rather than merely consuming it.
• 00:15:00 The author discusses the two main meanings of the word "aficionado," which are "someone who loves something deeply and is not a novice," and "a person who is only interested in something superficially." He points out that, in Spanish, the two meanings are contradictory, and that the primary meaning is "one who takes care of something." This is a substantive meaning and is important in understanding the original meaning of "curar." The author makes the case that, in today's world, a student who is interested in science should be motivated by curiosity, not apathy. He presents a humorous example of a student who is "aficionado" to the point of being obsessive.
• 00:20:00 The speaker discusses the "absurdo" of the student in the educational system, and proposes a reform to help fix this. He argues that the student is not simply a "man of science" or "man of business", but is instead a product of the constitutive needs of human existence that unfortunately do not resonate in any individual. He goes on to say that, in order to talk about the issue in a sober way, we must first go back to the original name of the essay - "Generación tras generación". The student is not simply motivated by a desire; he is forced to take on a requirement which he does not want, due to his position in life. The speaker uses the famous Spanish philosopher Ortega y Gasset's quote "El estudiante no es por su querer sino por medio de una exigencia que se le impone" to explain the problem. The student is increasingly ignorant due to the ever-growing amount of culture he is forced to assimilate. He concludes with a call for more students to study, so that the human race can survive and progress.
• 00:25:00 The speaker argues that the education system is in a state of crisis and that the problem is more complex than the problem of the security guard who redirects a pedestrian's path so that traffic flows smoothly. He says that the solution lies in a comprehensive reform of the educational system, which should be oriented towards teaching students how to think critically and communicate effectively. The speaker concludes the video by quoting the author of a book on the subject.