Computer technology is usually evaluated according to its effectiveness in aiding learning. What is generally ignored is the impact of the ideology embedded in the computer on the very structure of education. This philosophical dissertation consists of four essays which examine the relationship of this ideology to the learning enterprise. The first essay develops the character of that ideology and its general influence on learning. It is argued that the ideology embodied in the computer is congruent with the ideology of technology that has developed in Western civilization over the last 300 years. As a result, the computer furthers a faith in progress through the development of tools rather than the development of inner qualities of the human being. The next two essays explore two specific areas in which this ideology and, thus, the computer play a harmful role in the learning environment. It is argued that computer technology tends to support both the commoditization of education and the forces which use education as a tool of oppression. Each of these social ills develop around the treatment of subjects with intrinsic value as objects to be utilized, a view subtly supported by the use of computers. The final essay is dedicated to developing a positive approach to the use and study of computer technology for learning. In this essay it is argued that children need a period of asthetic and social preparation before bringing the computer into the learning environment. It also argues that the entire structure of schooling will need to be altered if we are to escape the technological ideology that pervades education today.