Indoctrination - 'Good' or 'Bad'?

[Anonymous]

Is it

1) A tool of an oppressive state to secure suport and manipulate the human mind

or

2) A device to procure a better society for all to live in?



Personally id go for number two, i realise that you cant teach children to be right or wrong, you can just teach them to be what in my opinion is right and wrong.

Please discuss.

[canikickit]

Well it really depends on which definition you use, because it has two different meanings. It also depends on what you are indoctrinating someone in.

It means either to teach somebody in the fundementals (i.e. the basics) of some subject, or to infuse somebody with an unswerving allegience to something, to the point where they have blind loyalty.

I think the very idea of blind loyalty is something which must be avoided, nobody should be blind to anything.

To teach somebody basics manners or morals is not the wrong thing to do, although in can be the wrong thing in particular cases.