Truly, Is Higher Education a Necessary Good or Evil? From the Perspective of Happiness Education

Overview & Synopsis

The purpose of this paper is to discuss whether higher education is a necessary good or evil from the perspective of happiness education. To review the paper systematically, four research questions are addressed. First, what is the purpose of higher education? Second, is higher education a necessary good? Third, is higher education a necessary evil? Last, what is an ideal aim of future higher education? To defend the research questions, the author uses a descriptive content analysis method, with a cross cultural approach. To argue these questions clearly and limitedly, this paper is defined as follows: higher education is limited to contemporary Korean higher education; and happiness education is reviewed from the perspectives of western and eastern classical standpoints, particularly, the classical Greek philosophers and the classical Confucian thinkers. Based on the research results of this study, the author suggests that Korean higher education for future generations should strengthen healthy moral education and philanthropical cosmopolitanism education, with utilitarian education. For future study, it is recommended that this study should be empirically undertaken to explore the moral values and utility values of higher education in Korean society with quantitative or qualitative research methodology. Finally, the researcher hopes that this position paper will provide basic theories and valuable resources regarding happiness or moral education for the educational practitioners and theorists of the world.