In the world that offers us an overwhelming amount of information, opinions and attitudes, what can be trusted? Does a school education provide the right tools to navigate our way through this maze of information? Is it possible to use common-sense to fight misinformation? And are the metaphors of maze and fight not merely linguistic devices which shift the meaning of the entire subject matter from rationality to emotionality?
Society in the 21st century has to cope with many adversities. One of them is information overload, whereby the layperson has little chance of finding the correct information and yet at the same time is obliged to put forward an opinion. Discussions in public are simplified, complex topics are reduced to simple theses, and a profound analysis is substituted with the abbreviation tl;dr - too long; didn't read.
This essay looks at the relationship between education and values, using examples of working with literary texts to explore how to develop comprehension, analytical skills and a willingness to avoid simple explanations of complex topics.
