Education as a Critico-Creative Impulse: Discerning a Russellian Stand

Education, a creative impulse, according to Bertrand Russell (1872–1970), must vouch a platform for the creation of genuine thoughts in children. In order to discern how genuine thoughts are to be inculcated in education, Russell’s concept of rationality needs to be paid special attention. This is so because it is by adhering to the theoretical as well as practical sides of rationality, thoughts can progress genuinely. Once rationality gets implanted in children, they learn to grow freely. To learn to grow freely here means to learn to preserve individuality and also to grow socially. For the preservation of individuality in children, Russell argues, education needs to pay heed to one principle of growth which is instinctive nature—the principle which directs impulses and desires. It follows therefore that the growth of children depends both on the principle of growth which is creative and instinctive in nature, and also on rationality which is critical in its outlook. The present paper argues that Russell, by considering education as a creative impulse, in fact, provides a special stature to education, i.e. he throws a critico-creative light to the nature of education. By arguing so, the paper commemorates Russell on his 150th birth anniversary and re-emphasizes his much underrated relevance to the field of education even in contemporary times.