Project Gutenberg 2005-09-01 Public domain in the USA. 92 Foster, John 1770 1843 An Essay on the Evils of Popular Ignorance Reading ease score: 35.3 (College-level). Difficult to read. Produced by Distributed Proofreaders "An Essay on the Evils of Popular Ignorance" by John Foster is a philosophical essay written in the early 19th century that addresses the profound issues resulting from widespread ignorance among the populace. In the text, Foster explores how this lack of knowledge contributes to moral degradation, societal unrest, and national decline, positing that ignorance is not merely a benign absence of information but a critical force behind vice and misery. He employs historical examples, particularly focusing on the ancient Jewish and pagan societies, to demonstrate how ignorance leads to destructive behaviors and societal ramifications. The opening of the essay lays the groundwork for Foster's arguments by highlighting the calamities associated with ignorance. He reflects on the general indifference towards the suffering caused by widespread ignorance, drawing connections to the historical consequences and deplorable conditions of societies that have neglected education. Through a series of observations, Foster critiques those in power who perpetuate this state of ignorance, emphasizing the need for a concerted effort to educate the masses to avert national disaster. The beginning establishes a tone of urgency and a moral imperative for better educational practices, setting the stage for a deeper exploration of how knowledge can lead to societal improvement and personal fulfillment. (This is an automatically generated summary.) en Education Missions -- India Great Britain -- Social conditions -- 19th century Religious education Literacy LC Text Browsing: Culture/Civilization/Society Browsing: History - British Browsing: Religion/Spirituality/Paranormal Browsing: Teaching & Education 590031 588812 2024-10-04T09:22:15.168801 2023-10-04T08:38:23.912621 text/html text/html 586618 2014-08-22T14:05:24 text/html; charset=utf-8 214086 2014-08-22T14:06:16 text/html; charset=utf-8 application/zip 297592 2024-10-04T09:22:23.960740 application/epub+zip 306618 2024-10-04T09:22:18.736758 application/epub+zip 288602 2024-10-04T09:22:17.480786 application/epub+zip 577768 2024-10-04T09:22:28.388703 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 553169 2024-10-04T09:22:23.193755 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 516449 2022-09-04T12:38:20.221368 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 579295 579276 2024-10-04T09:22:14.598791 2023-10-04T08:38:23.462631 text/plain; charset=us-ascii text/plain 579564 2014-08-22T14:05:16 text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 212299 2014-08-22T14:06:16 text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 application/zip 579557 2014-08-22T14:05:10 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 212272 2014-08-22T14:06:16 text/plain; charset=us-ascii application/zip 22850 2024-10-04T09:22:28.534701 application/rdf+xml 18574 2024-10-04T09:22:18.022755 image/jpeg 4133 2024-10-04T09:22:17.750757 image/jpeg 293423 2024-10-04T09:22:15.221789 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia