My vision for society is based on the importance of personal development, and my personal vision has a focus on life-long learning, problem solving, creativity and also a holistic approach to life. This translates into a view for a society that values these types of thinking aswell. A society that promotes, life-long learning, creativity and diverse skills is one that has a lot of room for innovation, but also a balanced and thus holistic view on the future. An article that resonated with me a lot, written by David Orr, underlines the incredible value, and if not detriment, of providing students with broad education [1].

Now my vision and writing abilities are far outplayed by him in explaining as to why broad education has such incredible value, so I definitely recommend reading the article if you can spare the time, but one specific quote that stuck with me:

“To teach economics, for example, without reference to the laws of thermodynamics or those of ecology is to teach a fundamentally important ecological lesson: that physics and ecology have nothing to do with the economy. That just happens to be dead wrong”.

This insight applies just as well to design. When we separate design from the context it exists in, whether it’s the environment, human psychology, or societal needs, we miss the opportunity to create meaningful solutions. A very good example of this is the example study provided in the Design Research Through practice book [2, p. 69-83] for the Field Approach, where the solution completely pivoted from the original assumption because of context inclusion in the process.

The emphasis on understanding the whole world, addresses why interdisciplinary thinking is important for addressing modern challenges, it will make people better creators in whatever field they work and play, it will create a more sustainable world and a better future for everyone to live in. The value of educating people more broadly is not even necessarily to be found in the things that they create but rather in the shaping of a persons value’s and means. The goal of education should not necessarily mastery of a subject matter, but of one’s person. “Subject matter is simply the tool”.

An additional argument that the current education system might improve on is that only stuffing more knowledge is not enough, or as Orr put it: “In the confusion of data with knowledge is a deeper mistake that learning will make us better people. But learning, as Loren Eiseley once said, is endless and “In itself it will never make us ethical (people).””.

Also from an epistemological standpoint, by allowing for interdisciplinary learning, students develop scaffolds that allow for approaching of problems with a wider array of tools, making them more effective at navigating complex challenges. Thus I want to concern myself with a future where contextual and broad education is seen as standard.

I would find it interesting to look at technological applications in education where one can aim for this goal. My bachelor thesis treated the topic of improving digital educational environments, looking into this direction with a broader sense of ethical and sustainable urgency might be interesting for me to develop in.

In conclusion, a future that values broad, holistic education is not only one that fosters creativity and innovation but also shapes individuals into more well-rounded, ethical people. This approach to learning allows people to tackle complex challenges with a more diverse set of tools, ultimately creating a more sustainable and balanced society.