From the Road to Serfdom to the Road to Self-Dom: Reclaiming Education through Autodidactic Freedom

 

From the Road to Serfdom to the Road to Self-Dom: Reclaiming Education through Autodidactic Freedom

By Dr. Thomas H. Culhane
Patel College of Global Sustainability, USF

“The schools must fashion the person and fashion him in such a way that he simply cannot will otherwise than what you wish him to will.”
— Johann Gottlieb Fichte, 1809, as cited by Fitch (2013)

The Dangerous Power of Curiosity

Erik Ramirez recently wrote, “Curiosity poses a great threat to those in positions of control.”
Indeed, as the essay Why the System Hates Autodidacts reminds us, a self-taught learner represents the ultimate act of rebellion in a system designed for conformity. Autodidacts learn for the joy of discovery, not for approval. They refuse to be “programmed.”

Horace Mann’s adoption of the Prussian education model in 19th-century America was not an innocent experiment in literacy. It was a social-engineering project. As Gatto (2003) and Illich (1971) argued, compulsory schooling served to produce obedient soldiers, efficient bureaucrats, and compliant workers — not curious, creative citizens. The logic was clear: control the classroom, and you control the mind.

But when students begin to teach themselves — when they follow the spark of their own wonder — the illusion of control dissolves.

Fear: The Hidden Curriculum

Mary Massey and I recently reflected on why some students thrive under freedom while others freeze. We found that the real barriers to autodidactic growth are not intellectual but emotional — rooted in fear:

  1. Fear of judgment by the instructor

  2. Fear of judgment by peers

  3. Fear of judgment by one’s inner critic

These fears are the residue of an education system that punished mistakes instead of celebrating them. They breed what psychologist Carol Dweck (2006) calls a fixed mindset — the belief that ability is static and that failure equals shame.

In contrast, the growth mindset — the soil in which autodidacts flourish — embraces imperfection as the path to mastery. It thrives in psychological safety, not surveillance.

Toward a Non-Judgmental Pedagogy

In my classes, we use a “point-for-point” system where every act of engagement earns credit. There is no punishment for being wrong. There is only reward for trying, reflecting, revising, and showing up with curiosity. Students can also submit work privately if they fear exposure, building confidence until they are ready to share publicly.

This approach draws from Theory Y and Theory Z in management science (McGregor 1960; Ouchi 1981), which assume that people are inherently motivated, trustworthy, and capable of self-direction when given respect and responsibility.

Education, too, should operate on trust — not coercion.

The Inner Revolution: From Fear to Freedom

The most profound fear, however, is the third one: the fear of disappointing ourselves.
When students are suddenly given autonomy, they often confront an unfamiliar mirror — one that reflects not what the system wants, but who they truly are.
It can be painful to realize how much creative muscle has atrophied under years of rote learning.

But just as a body regains strength through patient exercise, the mind — and spirit — can rebuild confidence through small acts of creation. Every sentence written, every question asked, every risk taken in curiosity is a flex of freedom.

A Call to Action: The Autodidactic Alliance

To all students and educators: let’s stop pretending that learning belongs to the classroom.
Let’s form autodidactic alliances — informal circles, WhatsApp groups, Discord servers, café meetups — where students help one another dismantle fear, exchange knowledge, and grow beyond the teacher’s gaze.

The role of the modern educator is not to command but to midwife knowledge — to draw out wisdom rather than deposit it. As Socrates taught through the Maieutic Method, true learning is a birthing process. We are all midwives of one another’s understanding.

From the Road to Serfdom to the Road to Self-Dom

Hayek warned of “The Road to Serfdom” — a society where freedom is traded for control.
Today, our classrooms risk becoming that road if we continue to value obedience over originality.

But a new path lies open: The Road to Self-Dom — where every learner becomes the author of their own education, guided by curiosity, compassion, and community.

Let us walk it together.

References

  • Dweck, C. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Random House.

  • Fitch, J. (2013). The origins of the American public education system: Horace Mann and the Prussian model of obedience. Police State USA.

  • Gatto, J. T. (2003). The Underground History of American Education. Oxford Village Press.

  • Illich, I. (1971). Deschooling Society. Harper & Row.

  • McGregor, D. (1960). The Human Side of Enterprise. McGraw-Hill.

  • Ouchi, W. (1981). Theory Z: How American Business Can Meet the Japanese Challenge. Addison-Wesley.

    From the Road to Serfdom to the Road to Self-Dom: Reclaiming Education through Autodidactic Freedom

    Why the System Fears the Curious

    “The schools must fashion the person and fashion him in such a way that he simply cannot will otherwise than what you wish him to will.”
    — Johann Gottlieb Fichte, 1809

    Curiosity is dangerous.

    An autodidact — a self-taught learner — poses a quiet but radical threat to any system built on control. When people start learning for themselves, they stop asking, “What should I know?” and start asking, “Why was I told this in the first place?”

    Historically, public education was not designed to liberate the mind but to discipline it. As John Taylor Gatto (2003) and Ivan Illich (1971) both observed, Horace Mann imported the Prussian schooling model to America not to empower individuals, but to manufacture obedience — soldiers for the army, workers for the factory, and bureaucrats for the machine.

    When you start teaching yourself, you break that machinery.

    The Hidden Curriculum: Fear

    In a recent discussion with my student Erik Ramirez, we explored why so many learners freeze when given freedom. Together with my colleague Mary Massey, we identified three core fears at the root of educational paralysis:

    1️⃣ Fear of judgment by the instructor
    2️⃣ Fear of judgment by peers
    3️⃣ Fear of judgment by one’s inner critic

    The first two fears are relatively easy to heal through compassionate pedagogy — creating safe, nonjudgmental environments where curiosity is rewarded, not graded.

    But the third fear — the inner critic — is the hardest to face. It’s the haunting legacy of our schooling.

    The Pain of Freedom

    When students are suddenly freed from the structures that dictated their worth, they often experience an existential shock.

    It’s like being released from a concentration camp of the mind — stepping out into sunlight after years of confinement and realizing how emaciated one’s intellectual and creative muscles have become.

    It hurts to see how much we’ve lost. It hurts to recognize how obedient we’ve been. It’s the pain of awakening — of realizing that the prison door was open all along.

    This is why so many learners, when invited to think freely, retreat instead. Freedom requires courage — and it demands the rebuilding of self-trust that the system deliberately eroded.

    Rebuilding the Mind’s Muscle

    In my classes, I’ve tried to reverse the old logic.

    Every act of engagement earns credit. Every attempt, reflection, or exploration counts. Students can submit work privately if they feel insecure, and publicly when ready. The emphasis is on effort and presence, not perfection.

    This draws from Theory Y and Theory Z (McGregor, 1960; Ouchi, 1981) — models of leadership grounded in trust and intrinsic motivation. When learners are respected and trusted, they naturally move toward growth.

    It’s the same with muscles: they strengthen through consistent, compassionate use. The mind is no different.

    Autodidactic Alliances

    The next step is to create autodidactic alliances — learning circles outside institutional walls. Imagine WhatsApp groups, Discord servers, cafés, and community spaces where students help one another dismantle fear, exchange tools, and teach from curiosity instead of compliance.

    Education, at its best, should be maieutic — midwifing knowledge, not manufacturing it. As Socrates understood, the teacher’s role is to draw out what already exists within.

    The Road to Self-Dom

    Friedrich Hayek warned of The Road to Serfdom — a world where freedom is traded for control.

    But we can chart another route: The Road to Self-Dom.
    It’s the road of autonomy, curiosity, and compassion — where every learner becomes the author of their own education.

    We can’t wait for systems to reform themselves.
    We reform the system by reforming how we relate to learning — and to ourselves.

    So here’s the call to action:

    💡 Create spaces where curiosity thrives outside surveillance.
    💡 Replace grading with growth.
    💡 Teach others how to unlearn fear.

    We don’t need permission to learn.
    We only need the courage to begin.

    #Autodidact #EducationReform #LifelongLearning #Curiosity #MindsetShift #GrowthMindset #HigherEducation #LearningRevolution #SustainabilityEducation #CriticalPedagogy #MaieuticMethod #RoadToSelfDom




  • Version 2:


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts