CMP Review 2024-08-13

August 13, 2024

“Education is the Science of Relations.” What a mysterious phrase.

We know what the individual words mean: education, science, relations. But what do they mean when they are all strung together? And what insight could this phrase possibly bring to lighten the load of the homeschool parent facing duties and lessons every single day?

In the early 1970s, Joan Molyneux became concerned that phrases like “Education is the Science of Relations” when used “slogan-fashion” were in danger of being misunderstood by modern audiences. She sought to explain these phrases and ideas in modern language to make Mason’s timeless ideas accessible to a new generation.

Her efforts culminated in a monumental series on “The Educational Philosophy of Charlotte Mason” published in six parts in 1971. Her second installment explored the question of curriculum — and in the process demystified the phrase “Education is the Science of Relations.”

Her explanation for modern audiences drew on illustrations new and old. She did not hesitate to call attention to a famous fresco in Florence — known to express an “educational creed.” But she also drew from the work of a more recent mind. Sadly, Charlotte Mason could never read the writings of C. S. Lewis. But Joan Molyneux could. And her arrangement of treasures new and old is breathtaking. Read or hear Part 2 here.

@artmiddlekauff