Chapter 14 Summary: Conclusion - The Return to Nature

The Ultimate Purpose of Education

• Guard the spiritual fire within - Education should preserve natural human spirit rather than suppress it

"These methods tend to guard that spiritual fire within man, to keep his real nature unspoiled and to set it free from the oppressive and degrading yoke of society."

• Society often darkens natural life - Social conventions can destroy the authentic self

"Truly our social life is too often only the darkening and the death of the natural life that is in us."

• Perfect art returns to nature - The highest educational achievement reconnects us with our true nature

"It is a pedagogical method informed by the high concept of Immanuel Kant: 'Perfect art returns to nature.'"

The Revolutionary Vision

• Liberation from social oppression - Education as freedom from degrading social constraints

"To set it free from the oppressive and degrading yoke of society."

• Preservation of authentic humanity - Maintaining the essential nature of the human being

"To keep his real nature unspoiled."

The Philosophical Foundation

• Kantian ideal of education - Perfect educational art brings us back to our natural state

"Perfect art returns to nature."

This brief conclusion encapsulates Montessori's ultimate vision: that true education does not impose artificial constraints or social conformity, but rather liberates the natural, authentic human spirit. The method she developed serves to protect and nurture what is genuinely human in the child, allowing them to develop according to their true nature rather than the distorting demands of conventional society.