This book uses a coherent theory of meaning that goes deep enough to combine philosophy, psychology and, educating. All of the principles of educating are expressions of a deep underlying idea of how meaning comes to us and how we shape and reshape meaning as we learn and grow through life. Shared meaning is the greatest human good. Educating changes the meaning of experience. Like art, educating also changes the experience of meaning. To tell a person he or she is ignorant is usually taken to be an insult of sorts, but if you think about ignorance you can also see that not knowing opens the possibility of new knowing. Being ignorant is a good ground for getting smart. Being smart – knowing and really understanding that you know – is a good thing.

Educating is grounded in shared meaning. In talking things over with each other we come to test our agreements and our differences. We can come to a point of deeply felt significance. The injection of computers into almost all aspects of contemporary life gives us ways to share meaning that were never before possible in human history. Alas, the widespread flood of spam and computer viruses of various sorts is a problem. Mere information is not enough. Information can lead to solid knowledge and cherished wisdom. The value of information for educating us is a supreme test of mere information.