Head for the Hands and Epilogue Summary and Analysis

Wilson's premise is that the hand and brain equally are at the core of human life. One of his colleagues Kieran Egan writes in "The Educated Mind" a history of three educational goals. These are: teach the young current norms and conventions of adult society; ensure their thinking conforms to the real and true in the world; and encourage development of student potential. Despite viability of these goals, their accomplishment is incompatible with institutional education. Yale psychologist Seymour Sarason claims education can succeed when it recognizes every individual is potentially creative and artistic. Human learning can proceed in the presence of fundamental and comparatively simple conditions, like an interest in the subject or skill and the encouragement and support of others.

Egan proposes that children can learn according to the template...