Is Jaden Smith the World’s Next Great Philosopher?
Time Magazine - 9/18/13, Eric Dodds

 

Next, Smith denounces the strictures set forth by society, suggesting that each one of us create our own rules. Assuming he doesn’t mean simply the laws of society—and it’s unlikely Smith would restrict himself to such a narrow scope—Smith’s statement demonstrates a clear rejection of Kantian ethics and the categorical imperative, which the Merriam-Webster dictionary [2] defines as, “a moral obligation or command that is unconditionally and universally binding.” Smith would instead prefer that we be bound only by the limitations we set forth for ourselves.

Now Smith turns his attention to the thorny issue of education. For thousands of years, philosophers have debated the role that schooling ought to have in the upbringing of children. The arguments they have made have been manifold and impossibly nuanced. Smith, however, boils the issue down to one essential truth. But it seems that in his quest for brevity, Smith may have overlooked the argument set forth in John Locke’s seminal 1693 treatise, Some Thoughts Concerning Education [3], in which the English philosopher posits that every human is born with a tabula rasa, or “blank slate.”  Taken as such, education would not be washing the brain, but rather filling it with information as Locke suggests: “I think I may say, that of all the men we meet with, nine parts of ten are what they are, good or evil, useful or not, by their education.” Perhaps, however, Smith is suggesting that the education is somehow intrinsically re-wiring the brain. As with many philosophical texts, it can be difficult to deduce the full meaning and nuance of the author.