Cornel West, one of the leading African American and public intellectuals, who will speak at WKU on February 21 as part of the 2013/14 Cultural Enhancement Series, cautions against the “Santa Clausification” of both Martin Luther King, Jr. and now Nelson Mandela.
Here are some key statements by King, Mandela, and West on education, broadly and deeply understood:
Deep education requires a habitual vision of greatness. (West)
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. (Mandela)
The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education. (King)
Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others? (King)