Keywords: anthropology; education; historical-cultural anthropology; knowledge; ethnology; educational anthropology,
Since the very beginnings of Western thought, anthropology and education have been linked. Even though the term ‘anthropology’ was only coined in the 16th century (Marquard 1971), and even though using it anachronistically, avant la lettre, is somewhat problematical, the resonance between education and anthropology is manifest in Plato’s Republic as well as in the writings of St. Augustine and St. Thomas of Aquinas. This resonance cannot be denied: neither in the 17th century in the works of Comenius, nor in the 18th century in the writings of Rousseau and Pestalozzi, nor yet in the 19th century in Kant’s, Herbart’s, Humboldt’s, and Schleiermacher’s oeuvre. In the course of the 20th century, anthropology and anthropological modes of observation grew steadily in infl uence in numerous academic disciplines, and particularly within philosophy. Max Scheler sees the starting point of this interest in anthropology in the following situation: “In about ten thousand years of history, our era is the fi rst in which man has become ‘problematical’ through and through, but also the fi rst in which he does not know what he actually is, and at the same time knows he doesn’t know.” That situation constitutes the starting point of educational anthropology, which has, since the second half of the 20th century, developed into an important fi eld of educational knowledge.
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Keywords: coercion; ethics; grading; testing; education; reform; legitimacy; moral framework; libertarian
Two distinct but related issues in the ethics of grading and testing will concern me in this paper. The fi rst of these is the charge, associated in the past two decades with libertarian educational theory, that the common practice of grading students' work is intrinsically coercive.1 The second is the larger national debate about ‘authentic’ assessment, educational standards, and standardised measures of educational outcomes. With respect to the latter issue, my particular concern is the moral grounds that can be adduced in support of new measures of educational achievement or progress. There are important connections between these issues, and one I shall pursue here is that in developing an account of the ethics of grading rich enough to generate a satisfactory response to the charge of coercion, one also uncovers moral grounds for preferring some of the newer forms of standardised measures over the kind of multiple-choice examinations that have prevailed in recent decades. In essence, I will argue that there are morally preferable forms of measures, adaptable to both classroom and standardised uses, which constitute an acceptable middle way between a condemnation of all grading and testing and an acceptance of the status quo that has prevailed.
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Keywords: emancipation; interview; sexually differentiation; marginalization; labour market; juridical differentiation; gender; justice
Nancy Fraser gave this interview for the forthcoming special issue of Critique and Humanism journal focused on gender studies developments and edited by Marina Liakova and Viara Angelova. The issue is presenting the debates on the social construction of gender currently ongoing in the fi elds of humanities. It is publishing special contributions by authors from Bulgaria, Germany, Norway, USA, etc. The papers deal with the inequality issues of the sexual minorities in differing social and historical contexts. The problems of scrutiny regard the political and economic inclusion of the sexually different, their marginalization at the labour market their juridical differentiation and so on. The issue is detecting the novel developments in the gender theories and remains open for contributions until October 30th, 2008.
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Keywords: Learning; democratic school system; South Africa; knowledge-error; mistakes; Apartheid education
One of the greatest challenges that the fi rst democratically elected government in South Africa has been addressing since 1994 is the country’s transformation from apartheid education to democratic education. In order to democratise education and redress the inequalities of apartheid, a series of policy changes has taken place in line with the new South African Constitution of 1996. The fi ve main principles identifi ed by the African National Congress that feature prominently in the new education policy documents are non-racism, non-sexism, democracy, a unitary system, and redress (National Education Policy Investigation 1993). A true democracy is dependent on democratic education, and democratic education requires, among other things, democratic teaching and management, the development of critical thinking, and the development of participative, reciprocal, non-discriminatory relationships among members involved in an educational setting. Although the structures for development in South African schools are in place and current education policy documents are primarily directed towards the democratisation of education, it would be incorrect to conclude that educational life in South Africa is already following a democratic mode. Democratic societies need to be open in order to fl ourish, and in an open society, certain attitudes and perspectives must be cultivated: asking questions – even unwanted questions; engaging oneself in critical, yet respectful discourses; being prepared to learn from mistakes.
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Keywords: education; free society; philosophy; university; experimental science; Socrates; knowledge
three basic experiences in the history of education and by drawing some conclusions from them. I start, of course, from the premise that without freedom, no education is possib le. And let me defi ne ‘education,’ somewhat brutally, as the activity of sustaining, extending, and transmitting the culture of a civilisation. These three activities, of course, cannot be clearly distinguished: each involves the other. The fi rst moral and social philosopher was Socrates, who drew on a tradition that owed much to earlier thinkers, called, signifi cantly, ‘pre-Socratics.’ Socrates promoted a bracing scepticism about both gods and majorities, and the Athenian democracy put him to death for it in 399 BC. Those early dialogues in which Pla to represented Socrates are in themselves an excellent education in the logic of inquiry. In particular, Socrates insisted on demanding clarity about the object of discussion as the precondition for advancing understanding. In Socratic thought, philosophy consisted in a critical examination of the ideas we all use in making sense of the world we live in. It was a crucial element in this inquiry that we ought not to be impressed by the fact that everybody accepts the belief being examined. Truth was not a matter of counting votes. The enormous signifi cance of Socra tes is that his life and his teaching united to make him not only an exemplar but virtually a martyr in the cause of knowledge. His submission to the verdict of the Athenian people (rather than taking the opportunity to run away from Athens) was itself based on a point of logic – namely, that the very life one leads implies a principle of conduct. To belong entails submitting to the law.
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Keywords: thought; sixteenth century; public education; learning; philosophy; teaching mterial; descriptive analysis; imitation
Within the context of the increasing interest in sensory perception during the period from 1450 to 1650, we fi nd an unexpected phenomenon: an astonishing tendency to render dependent on linguistic usage the common understanding of things, beings, and facts of nature or the environment.1 Evidence of this can be found in a wide variety of reference works relating either to dialectics or to the methodology of learning, the ratio studiorum,2 or again in conceptually structured encyclopaedias of universal knowledge.3 Through an analysis of Aristotelian texts used in schools, the present study provides evidence of the reciprocal relationship between the dynamic, highly individual process of ‘learning through experience’4 and the constraints of the existing terminology. By concentrating specifi cally on the learning process, it becomes possible to recognise the normative or quasi-normative principles on which teaching methods were based. The precise manner in which these affected perception comes to light, refl exively as it were, through an examination of the measures that were employed for training the senses. By this means, it will be possible to describe more clearly the contribution of the senses to the learning process that was formulated conceptually and employed in the teaching of philosophy in the 16th century universities and academies with the express goal of understanding the universe.
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Keywords: globalization; cultural perspectives; educational sciences; science; education; knowledge,knowledge production; semantics
More and more, it becomes a central topic today – in sciences as well as in everyday life – to ask the right questions instead of producing scientifi c outputs like mass production is providing goods. Earlier on, one could have a look at the philosophy of education or – at least in Germany – at the general pedagogy (Allgemeine Pädagogik) if one was in search for some systematic discussion of educational ideas and approaches. But it seems that both of these disciplines have lost their guiding position as instances of order, partly due to their own pluralisation. And it is diffi cult to say whether their position can be revitalised, and how that can be done. In modern societies, there are no more strategic apexes to overview everything and to decide about right or wrong. This is, however, not an avoidable state but a structural characteristic. In consequence, pluralisation of scientifi c perspectives in general has to be stressed and included in the systematic analysis of educational science, too. Including a cultural theoretical aspect can be seen as a further step in this direction and offer a quite different access to the landscape of educational sciences and the ongoing discussions about educational reforms.
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Keywords: culture; trust; school; Martin Buber; philosophy of dialogue; education; insight; relationship; trusting
Similar to many other European countries, Norway has implemented several educational reforms in recent years. In order to be better equipped to meet competency requirements related to a globalised economy, a new curriculum containing new learning and skill objectives has been developed for the primary school level. Norway has also implemented tests measuring learning results, established systems for continuing evaluations, and awarded distinctions to schools showing positive performance. These developments have led to a professional focus being directed towards discovering the degree to which the school is an effi cient knowledge organisation, the results it produces, and the goals it achieves. The focus on trust expands the debate to include a different point of orientation than goal achievement and system performance. On the contrary, the role of the school and its problems from the perspective of the quality of social relationships receives attention (Misztal 1996: 9). Are the social relationships in a school class of such character that the students dare to raise questions? Do they trust one another whey they are to work together? Is there a mutually trusting relationship between students and a teacher which can form the basis for an openness that makes a development of moral and human qualities possible? The answer to these and similar questions has signifi cance for the type of learning taking place in class.
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Keywords: reason; rationalist; criticism; evaluation; education; feminism; science; culture
In the Western philosophical tradition, reason and rationality have long been regarded as important intellectual ideals. In the philosophy of education, their culti vation has been similarly esteemed as a central educational aim or ideal. Historically, philosophers of education whose positions otherwise diverge dramatically have con sistently articulated, endorsed, and defended educational visions to which the culti vation of reason, or the fostering of rationality, has been central.In contemporary discussions the cultivation of reason continues to be defended by many as an important educational aim or ideal. Unlike some historical predecessors, contemporary advocates of the ideal do not understand reason as a special psycho logical ‘faculty’; in defending rationality, they do not align themselves with the historical movement known as Continental Rationalism, according to which know ledge is based on the perception or intuition afforded by such a faculty. Rather, what is advocated is that education should have as a fundamental aim the fostering in students of: (1) the ability to reason well, i.e. to construct and evaluate the various reasons which have been or can be offered in support or criticism of candidate beliefs, judg ments, and actions; and (2) the disposition or inclination to be guided by reasons so evaluated, i.e. actually to believe, judge, and act in accordance with the results of such reasoned evaluations.
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Keywords: university; contemporary; general education; education; new knowledge; higer education
The ‘idea of the university’ and its ‘mission’ has been the subject of numerous publications since the end of the First World War. The majority of them are fi lled with concern. This concern is strongest among people from the academic community itself. Their anxiety bespeaks a disorientation about the long-term tasks of the university. This disorientation appeared with the emergence of the long-term tendency towards massifi cation of higher education. As a result of massifi cation, universities opened up to new social groups. Regardless of the variety of historically established types of academic institutions and the not insignifi cant differences between the major national scientifi c traditions (Gocheva 2005: 34–36), the prevalent view throughout the nineteenth century was that the university was, firstly, an institution producing, preserving and advancing scientifi c knowledge, and secondly, that educating national elites was the other, just as important, task of the university.
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Keywords: education; purpose; liberal education; vocational education; progressivism; information; communications; perfectibility; perfectionism
In Roger Marples's useful collection The Aims of Education (1999), a number of contributors sketch the different ways in which the question of aims has been addressed in educational theory. Kevin Harris's approach is indicative. Recognising the salience of such questions in the study of education, he explains: "in the fi rst lecture of every course I give, I stress that 'education' is a changing, contextual and often highly personalised, historically and politically constructed concept." To illus trate this Harris reads some dictionary defi nitions and gives examples of stated "aims of education," what R. S. Peters called, with some disparagement, "high level direct ives for education".
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Keywords: conceptual objectivity; Brandom; rationalist pragmatism; language; bjectivity; conceptual norms; propositional contents; realist presuppositions
Even though philosophy of education is traditionally placed in the realm of practical philosophy and associated closely with topics in ethics and political philosophy, questions pertaining to epistemology, philosophy of language, and philosophy of mind are at least of equal importance to the philosophical examination of educational issues. Not only is the acquisition and transfer of knowledge one of the declared objectives of education, but learning, understanding, thinking – central concepts in the philosophy of mind – are fundamental to education as well. Furthermore, the educational situation itself is characteristically one that relies on and is shaped by language use. In this way, Robert Brandom’s 1994 magnum opus Making it Explicit, whose theoretical enterprise extends from an innovative theory of language to a theory of mind and logic, should be of great interest to any serious scholar and student of the philosophy of education.
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Keywords: learning; negativity; philosophy of education; passion; epagoge; experience,
Although the phenomenon of negativity is central to any understanding of human learning, the term ‘negativity’ brings about misunderstandings and a lack of clarity. As Burgos states, “the very issue of negativity tends to be viewed in a negative way because of its association with certain moral or epistemic values” (Burgos 2004: 430). Our contribution discusses the relation of learning and passion (Leidenschaft*) within the negativity of learning. Arguing the possibilities of classical Greek understanding of pathos as passion, we use the term ‘passion’ following the Greek understanding of pathos2 and the German understanding of Leidenschaft*. Contrary to modern thinking, passion in the Greek ‘tradition’ is not understood as a subjective feeling but – far from that – as an indomitable experience one cannot fl ee from. In this respect, Bernhard Waldenfels clarifi es that one does not have passion (pathos) as one ‘has’ a feeling.3 One is, however, committed to a passion that has happened to oneself. Being committed to passion, learning is set in motion. By focusing on the dimension of passion, we intend to explore the relevance of passion in the process of learning. The article will explore the question of how learning gathers momentum from negativity of experience. Therefore, the passionate aspects of learning will be reconsidered and refl ected upon as an investigation into historical and philosophical traces. We intend to present new perspectives on learning in educational theory stressing the constitutive aspects of passion (Leidenschaft*) in learning. Our analysis also aims at clarifying the process (Vollzug*) of learning in the discourse of educational sciences, precisely in the discourse of philosophy of education.
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Keywords: Yimou Zhang; Helman Alicja
A book review of Alicja Helman’s "Hues of Red" ("Odcienie czerwieni", 2010). The book presents the work of one of the greatest Chinese and Asian film directors – Zhang Yimou. Helman in her analysis and interpretations of the director’s work, also presents the social and historical backdrop to his work. She devotes a lot of effort in describing cultural, social and economic transformations that took place during the last few decades in China. Helman places Zhang Yimou’s work in the wider context of the history of the Chinese cinema and Chinese art. At the same time she does not neglect the important matter of detailed analysis Zhang Yimou’s aesthetic, that defines the Chinese director’s status as an author.
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Keywords: Irzykowski Karol; comedy
Silent burlesque has a special place in Karol Irzykowski’s early 20th century views on cinema. In particular in the films of Max Linder, Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd and other great comedians he saw the potential for creating the ideal film art. Irzykowski valued the dynamism and ingenuity of those film artists. Burlesque comedies also were a fantastic reflection of the relation between man and matter – which according to Irzykowski was what defined cinema. For the contemporary observer what appears interesting is the critic’s view on human body as the object of performance. In many comedies it became a foreign thing, governed by the rules of inanimate matter.
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Keywords: Barańska Albina
An interview with Albina Barańska, the person responsible for the interior design, costumes and set design in over one hundred Polish films and TV series. One of the first films that she worked on was "Birth Certificate" (1961) by Stanisław Różewicz. During six decades of her professional life the artist worked with many directors, amongst others with Wojciech Jerzy Has, Kazimierz Kutz, Feliks Falk, Dorota Kędzierzawska, Jerzy Hoffman, Grzegorz Królikiewicz and Jerzy Antczak. However she found her greatest artistic fulfillment in the artistic tandem with Andrzej Barański, with whom she made fifteen feature films. In the conversation on the importance of props in the work of interior design artist Albina Barańska argues: We are the sorcerers of things.
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Keywords: Ophüls Max
What fascinated Max Ophüls in "Madame de…", a short novel by Louise de Vilmorin, was not so much the storyline, but the construction of the whole story, in particular the axis around which the cycle of events takes place, namely a pair of earrings. Helman tries to show how Ophüls manages this axis in film. A detailed deconstruction of the plot highlights the role the earrings play as an element structuring the film, and their relation with the motif of lies and lying. The earrings function on three levels at the same time: as material objects, as elements of the plot, and on a mental level. The plot is totally fictitious, artificial and constructed, and Ophüls appears to be aiming at some artificial world of film, that does not exist outside of his work. The director plays with he convention of the melodrama, but does not take it seriously. In a similar fashion he enjoys playing with the camera, without celebrating what is achieved with its help. In this manner he achieves an effect of unique, rococo charm, which so far no one could imitate.
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Keywords: video art; dada; Viola Bill; Paik Nam June
The article deals with the relationship between video art with the dadaist tradition, and shows how some of the principles of the creators of the Great Avant Garde were developed in the period when artists started to reach for electronic media as means of artistic expression. References to the Dada tradition have a heterogeneous character within video art. This is due to the multi faceted use of this medium by various artists – for some it served above all as means of recording performance art, for others it became a matter that replaced more traditional materials used in art. Pitrus refers to many examples, e.g. the work of Bill Viola, Nam June Paik as well as Steina and Woody Vasulka.
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