# Education and Social Value in Democracy and Social Ethics

> Theme guide for Democracy and Social Ethics by Jane Addams.

Addams argues that education must connect children's experiences to social life, freeing their potential and preparing them for democratic citizenship, rather than merely teaching rote skills or abstract knowledge.

## Where it surfaces

- [Filial Relations](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/democracy_and_social_ethics_se/chapters/iii-filial-relations): Critiques the individualistic focus of women's education, which trains for intellectual accumulation but fails to prepare for active social engagement.
- [Educational Methods](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/democracy_and_social_ethics_se/chapters/vi-educational-methods): Addams critiques public schools for failing to give working-class children a sense of social value in their industrial labor, instead preparing them only for commercial or clerical work.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/democracy_and_social_ethics_se/themes/education_and_social_value
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/democracy_and_social_ethics_se/themes