"The true object of education, like that of every other moral process, is the generation of happiness. Happiness to the individual in the first place. If individuals were universally happy, the species would be happy."
William Godwin as quoted in today's Brainpickings.
Maria Popova, founder of Brainpickings, add this: At the heart of this happiness-generating education, Godwin places the importance of instilling in children an early love of literature, which would “inspire habits of industry and observation” that by young adulthood would ferment into “a mind well regulated, active, and prepared to learn.
So what's education all about? According to this writer/philosopher, father of Mary Shelley who wrote Frankenstein, the whole point of learning is, ultimately, happiness. Children who learn to love reading become thoughtful, curious, and open to changing their minds.
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