“In the beginning there was education,” states the German psychoanalyst Alice Miller in the original title of this book. In this way, she transparently hints at the biblical scope of the problem she writes about.
Education as a suppression of the living principle, which has existed for many centuries, provokes future violence on the part of those who were humiliated, punished, tortured physically and morally, achieving unconditional, unreasoning, almost inspired submission. Citing many shocking quotes from pedagogical writings, and then dissecting several life stories – drug addicts, murderers and Hitler – Miller reveals the nature of their amazing cruelty. This tragic book on “black pedagogy” and its consequences is an absolute must-read for anyone who has or deals with children to be aware of the true nature of their good intentions and the consequences of their words and actions.
Class, 296 p.