근본과 지말은 교육의 개념을 파악하는 두 가지 상이한 관점을 비유적으로 나타낸다. 이 두 관점은 각각 ‘심성 함양’과 ‘문제 해결’이라는 용어로 요약될 수 있다. 다시 말하여, 교육은 학생의 마음 속에 진선미성의 원천을 심어주는 일로 파악되기도 하고 학생으로 하여금 장차 일상생활의 실제적 문제를 해결하도록 준비시켜주는 일로 파악되기도 한다. 이런 뜻에서의 근본과 지말은 과거 50년간 한국의 학교교육을 반성하고 장차 50년간 교육의 발전 방향을 전망하는 중요한 관점을 제공해 준다. 교육의 근본을 회복하기 위해서는 교육에 종사하는 사람들이 합심하여 학교 교과를 그 원래의 의미와 가치로 되돌리는 데에 노력을 집중할 필요가 있다.
A meaningful distinction can be made between the root and the branches of education, which represents metaphorically the two aspects of education, leading to the two different conceptions of education. With respect to the former, education is conceived as aiming at cultivating the primordial mind or mind in its original nature , which is contrasted with preparing the students for solving daily practical problems. It should be noted that, even though the root and the branches cannot be separated, education geared to the branches is not compatible with that directed to the root, so that to the degree that education caters for daily problem-solving even at the most professional level, education for cultivating the primordial mind is neglected. The metaphor of root and branches can be made into a useful viewpoint for overviewing the 50 years and pointing to the direction for the coming 50 years of school education in Korea. A false and dangerous rhetoric has been working, persistently and with increasing influence, to put the branch-aspect of education at the prominence to the almost total neglect of the root-aspect. And this means, at the practical level, that the academic knowledge featuring in school curriculum has not been given a due respect as the single most important channel for cultivating the primordial mind, which is the only valid source of the humane character. It can never be doubted that any education eradicated in the sense ceases to be called education. The prevailing rhetoric to the contrary, we Koreans have every right to be proud of the long and brilliant scholarly tradition in our culture. The only thing we should do to rehabilitate the mutilated and extirpated root of education is to restore the content of school education to its original meaning and value in relation to the cultivation of the primordial mind. It is in this capacity that the Korean education can play a leading role in the world education of the coming age.