Wilhelm von Humboldt and His Ideas on Education
Wilhelm von Humboldt (1767–1835), a Prussian philosopher, linguist, and diplomat, contributed significantly to educational theory and practice, and was the founder of the University of Berlin. Why discuss Humboldt on the SimTrade blog? SimTrade, as an educational tool, follows in the tradition of the ideas developed by Humboldt.
Let us first recall that Wilhelm von Humboldt advocated a liberal approach to the role of the state in society. He believed that the scope of state intervention should be limited to protecting citizens within the country and defending its borders against external threats (as discussed in his work “The Limits of State Action”, which Friedrich Hayek described as an extraordinary essay). In the field of education, Humboldt argued that the state should refrain from intervention (which would lead to uniformity), and instead promoted freedom of knowledge, diversity of experience, and autonomy of the teaching staff (at the university level). Self-directed learning, freedom to teach and learn, and freedom to conduct research were the core principles advanced by Humboldt.
Today, according to François Taddei (2014), “Wilhelm von Humboldt’s vision is becoming a reality thanks to the Internet. The Web allows individuals to learn freely and to create content for others to learn from. You are de facto free to share whatever you wish and to use available data to conduct your own research.”
The SimTrade Approach
SimTrade is an educational tool accessible online. It is a virtual space where teaching and learning can take place freely. Freedom lies at the heart of the SimTrade project, whose mission is to “train individuals to act freely in financial markets.” Through courses, simulations, and competitions, SimTraders can build their own personalized learning paths across three dimensions: knowledge, know-how, and communication. SimTrade’s content is accessible to all, and anyone can also contribute content to the platform.
SimTrade is also an experimental research laboratory. Each simulation, as a practical market exercise, also serves as a research experiment to better understand individual behavior and market functioning.
In this way, SimTrade combines both teaching and research.
Sources and References:
- Encyclopédie de l’Agora: article on Wilhelm von Humboldt
- Wilhelm von Humboldt (1792), The Limits of State Action.
- François Taddei (2014), Learning through Research, Innovating for Education, Imagination Week, ESSEC Business School.
