Education at school continues what has been done at home: it crystallizes the optical illusion, consolidates it with book learning, theoretically legitimizes the traditional trash and trains the children to know without understanding and to accept denominations for definitions. Astray in his conceptions, entangled in words, man loses the flair for truth, the taste for nature. What a powerful intellect must you possess, to be suspicious of this moral carbon dioxide and with your head swimming already, to hurl yourself out of it into the fresh air, with which, into the bargain, everyone round is trying to scare you!

Summary

This quote by Alexander Ivanovich Herzen highlights his critique of traditional education. He argues that educational institutions simply reinforce the illusions and misconceptions already imparted at home. Schooling, according to Herzen, further strengthens these illusions through rote learning and the acceptance of traditional dogmas without true understanding. He believes this hampers individuals' ability to seek truth and appreciate the natural world. Herzen suggests that only those with powerful intellects are capable of recognizing the moral pollution within education and breaking free from it, despite the societal pressure to conform.

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