Indoctrination

                Indoctrination is a word with a heavy stigma in that it implies a form of education where the pupil is not to question the idea presented to them. In books like 1984, people are brainwashed into thinking a certain way. It is a very real fear for some people. Therefore, it might make sense to promote a society in which the members have the right to question everything. However this is a mistake. Education, even in some ways indoctrination, is necessary to prevent a self-destructive society.

                It stems from the fact that humans are fundamentally flawed. Human nature instigates us to seek our own benefit, but not even all of the time. If we only looked out for our own self-interests we could live and let live. There would be no need for human rights or a United Nations. Our nature compels us to swing back and forth between selfishness and selflessness. Contradicting characteristics such as these are incompatible with an orderly society because they create too much spontaneity to be contained within mere social pressure or legislature. There will be someone who behaves in a way that cannot be accounted for and therefore threatens the structure of society.

                The role of indoctrination is to fix the people into behaving within a system. It may seem wrong from an outside perspective, but the society does not suffer from it. Ignorance is not in of itself evil. It is, after all, something that will follow mankind to the end of time. The only difference between our ignorance and the ignorance of those who have been indoctrinated is our ignorance gives us nothing.