{"id":29,"date":"2026-03-22T07:04:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-22T07:04:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cosinus.opalstacked.com\/?p=29"},"modified":"2026-03-22T07:04:01","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T07:04:01","slug":"ollie-lovells-summary-of","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cosinus.opalstacked.com\/?p=29","title":{"rendered":"Ollie Lovell\u2019s Summary of\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ERRR #063. E.D. Hirsch on <\/strong>Why Knowledge Matters<\/em><\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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Key takeaways from this episode of the ERRR podcast<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/www.ollielovell.com\/errr\/donhirsch\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

About this Episode\u2019s Guest<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n


Don (E.D.) Hirsch is an American educator, literary critic, and theorist of education. He is also Professor Emeritus of Education and Humanities at the University of Virginia. Don wrote the hugely influential book, Cultural Literacy, back in 1987, which had a huge influence on the debate about education standards in the US. He is the founder of the Core Knowledge Foundation, which continues to build upon his work and produce high-quality curriculum materials which are freely available for all to use. <\/em><\/td>		Image credit: Fordham Institute<\/em><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This summary was sent to all patrons of the ERRR podcast. <\/strong>You can sign up to support the ERRR <\/strong>podcast, and receive monthly summaries like this, at: <\/strong>https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/errr<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Find an <\/strong>interactive transcript<\/strong> of this podcast here: https:\/\/otter.ai\/u\/vQQge6sWTXnKxwO8TTO94PS75-s<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summary<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Ideas from the Podcast<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here are some brief takeaways from my rich discussion with Don. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of schooling is tribal initiation<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In one of the most interesting answers to, \u2018What\u2019s the purpose of school-based education?\u2019 Don replied, \u2018Tribal initiation\u2019. This phrase gave a hint into Don\u2019s outlook on society and the individual, which is built upon below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why \u2018shared\u2019 knowledge matters<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A great point that Don made within the podcast is that he could have easily, and perhaps more clearly, titled his book, \u2018Why Shared <\/em>Knowledge Matters\u2019 instead of simply, \u2018Why Knowledge Matters\u2019. This is because his main point is that what’s important is not knowledge, but the fact that it\u2019s shared, and it\u2019s known that it\u2019s shared. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we know that knowledge is shared, we can improve the efficiency of our communication. The example that Don gave was of someone asking for directions on the subway. If someone is dressed up as a Bostonian and they ask a passerby, \u2018How do I get to central square?\u2019 the passerby will assume a certain amount of shared knowledge and answer simply, \u2018First stop on the subway\u2019. If someone is dressed up as a tourist and they ask the same question, they\u2019re likely to get a much more detailed answer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another similar example is with teaching. If a coach and a coachee both know that they have shared knowledge about what a cold call<\/em> is, the coach can say, \u2018That was a good opportunity for a cold call\u2019 when discussing a lesson. If this knowledge isn\u2019t shared, the coach will have to be much more explicit when describing this questioning technique. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In short, shared<\/em> knowledge improves both the accuracy and efficiency of communication. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Challenging the dominant theory of development<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of Don’s other main points within the podcast was to challenge the dominant theory of development in American schools. This dominant theory posits that human beings are like plants, and that the human brain begins similarly to a seed in that it begins with all required information for its own healthy development. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don challenges this and suggests that the brain is actually more like the blank slate that John Locke was alluding to. That is, the brain requires inputs for its development, it doesn’t just develop naturally. Our bodies do develop in a natural way, and will do so without much external input. But knowledge and language require this external input, the knowledge required to thrive in modern society doesn\u2019t just naturally arrive in our brains as we make our way through life.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To back up this claim, Don cited this recent article<\/a> by Nir Kalisman and colleagues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Redefining individualism<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Don defined individualism in an interesting way. He defined it within the scope of the tribe. That is to say that the question of individualism is a question of what it takes for the individual to flourish within the context of the tribe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This relates interestingly to the work of Bill Rogers<\/a> and Tom Bennett<\/a>, who both emphasised within my discussions with them the fundamental desire of individuals to belong as a core driving force to behaviour. Therefore the question of how to promote individual flourishing (individualism) can be characterised as a question of how to support the individual to belong and flourish within the tribe. In his book, Don captures this with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key task facing our elementary schools is to shift our emphasis from the goal of self-realisation to the goal of community – from child-centeredness to community-centeredness. No sensible person would disparage either goal. But the emphasis must shift decisively for the sake of the community and the individual child. (<\/em>pg. 2)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Takeaways from Why Knowledge Matters<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There were three big and incredibly valuable ideas that I encountered in Don Hirsch\u2019s Why Knowledge Matters<\/em>. We touched upon these three ideas in the podcast in various forms, but I will expand upon each of them in this summary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The three big ideas are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n