Title: Facet of Process Philosophy Impacting American Government - Free Paper Sample
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Education
The issue of access to higher education is another matter in which process philosophy has impacted American governmental policy. In the early twentieth century, access to higher education was considered to be the exclusive domain of those who were members of the so-called “leisure classes.” The rationale behind this exclusivity was that the American masses engaged in either manufacturing or agricultural labor, and so did not require extensive schooling in the humanities, the arts, or philosophy. However, with the need for an educated managerial class with the maturing of the Industrial Revolution, it became clear that the doors of higher education should be opened to a wider cross-section of Americans. With the implementation of the G.I. Bill of 1944, which was signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in an effort to provide a reward for patriotic young men who had served valiantly in World War II, the United States government began to provide taxpayer funds to pay the college tuition of Americans who could not afford higher education otherwise (Rose, 2016). As legions of young American men from all socio-economic backgrounds began to obtain a higher education, the notion that higher education should be democratized began to spread throughout American society. As a result, the Higher Education Act of 1965 was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The Higher Education Act of 1965 provided for Pell Grants, or Federal grants to college students from lower-income households, and the Federal student loan program, which provided Federally subsidized loans for students of all income levels to attend colleges and universities. As a result of these funding entities, the attainment of a higher education is no longer a privilege, but a duty of almost all American citizens, and it is now no longer possible to obtain a decent standard of employment without first obtaining a college degree. Indeed, the profound changes that have occurred with regards to access to higher education, and the provision of funding for its pursuit, are evidence that process philosophy has a profound impact on the actions of the United States government.