Modern Philosophers
Photograph: © Institut Florimont
Modern Philosophers
Evolution or revolution
By Jean-Claude Brès
Some modern philosophers are continuing the tradition of speaking out on the topic of education. In discussing related social changes, they are taking into consideration ongoing economic, demographic, political and technological fluctuations.
A number of them are even talking about a “revolution” in the field of knowledge and competence. They are calling upon all of us to reconsider existing laws and practical skills.
Michel Serres
At the end of his book Knee-High to a Grasshopper, Michel Serres offers a key to understanding modern man and today’s youth, for whom “everything remains yet to be done.”
“The ever-patient optimist, Michel Serres entrusts today’s youth with the construction of the new digital civilization – the most recent incarnation of humanity, arriving to replace alphabetic and print civilization.” (The Triumph of Michel Serres – Eternal Optimist, L’Express, Essay by Emmanuel Hecht, published on 17.05.2013 at 12:49)
“The philosopher and academic Michel Serres analyzes the transformation that has taken place in the field of education, and discusses the concern felt by a certain segment of the teaching community.”
In your book Knee-High to a Grasshopper, you paint the picture of the modern student, underscoring the fact that, over the course of the past forty years, all of the existing fundamentals have been turned upside-down: demographics, sexuality, worldview, family, language, etc. The “knee-high to a grasshopper” student “no longer lives in a particular time – or even space – and he has an entirely different head on his shoulders,” you write. What have the consequences of these recent changes been for teachers?”
“Today, we’re witnessing a tectonic shift in the field of education, and it’s a transformation taking place absolutely everywhere! Teachers and students alike have fundamentally changed. This is happening due to the emergence of new technologies. Birth and death are no longer the same as they were forty years ago, while the relationship between environment and knowledge have also changed.”(Michel Serres: “Teachers Are Completely Disoriented,” L’Express, article by Marie Caroline Missir, published on 15.11.2013 at 19:29)
Speech by Michel Serres at an interacademic meeting on “Modern Problems of Teaching”
Tuesday, 1 March 2011. Convening of an official interacademic meeting chaired by Mr. Gabriel de Broglie, institute rector, on the topic: Modern Problems of Teaching. During the official meeting, Mr. Xavier Darcos, Permanent Secretary of the Academy of Ethical and Political Sciences, Mr. Pierre Léna from the Academy of Sciences, and Mr. Michel Serres from the Académie Française outlined the main features of modern teaching problematics and, guided by their considerable wealth of experience, offered a number of solutions without delving into their political and sociological aspects.
Provided below is an excerpt from the speech by Michel Serres, as delivered during the interacademic meeting:
“In the face of change, it’s essential to come up with new, previously-unheard-of methods of problem-solving that exclude the use of the old ways that continue to determine our behavior and actions. Outmoded teaching fundamentals shine with a light reminiscent of that projected by far-away stars that reaches us long after the source has long-since burned out.
Why have the innovations I’m speaking of not yet come to pass? I blame the philosophers, of which I am one – that is, the people whose profession it is to stay ahead of the times and who, myself included, have failed in this task. Delving day in and day out into matters of policy, they fail to notice modern trend-lines as they emerge. If I were to sketch the portrait of today’s adult, someone like me, the picture would be unflattering.
I wish I were eighteen years-old again – knee-high to a grasshopper, as today’s boys and girls. Everything ahead must be redone – no, almost everything must yet be done.
I would like to have enough time to work with these boys and girls to whom I have dedicated my life, because I have always treated them with respect.”
To learn more (in French):
Edgar Morin
Еdgar Morin, in a document published by UNESCO in 1999, speaks of “seven tasks that must be immediately addressed in order to properly organize the process of teaching for the future”:
́
Identifying the sources of misperception and illusion;
Following the principles of continuous education;
Teaching humanity;
Teaching Earthly identity;
Fearlessness in the face of uncertainty;
Teaching mutual understanding;
Ethics of humanism.
Provided below are selected excerpts illustrating each individual heading.
1. Identifying the sources of misperception and illusion:
The education system must incorporate and advance the study of various aspects of the learning process (powers of the human mind, thought processes, impact of culture on individuals), processes and conditions of human existence, physical and cultural aspects of human life serving as the source of misperception and illusion.
2. Following the principles of continuous education:
The dominance of fragmentary knowledge in certain fields of science renders impossible the unification of these separate parts into an integral whole. It is essential to create opportunities for the study of phenomena across all of their various aspects.
3. Teaching humanity:
This chapter illustrates how the study of contemporary subjects can be used to reveal the essence of man through classification of the knowledge gleaned from study of the natural sciences and humanities, literature and philosophy, by identifying the inextricable link between the general and the personal in the soul of every person.
4. Teaching Earthly identity:
Today’s planetary fate of mankind represents a new, heretofore-untapped educational key to revealing the essence of human beings. The knowledge gained during the planetary era, sure to multiply in the 21st century as the basis for our increasingly-vital perception of our Earthly existence, must emerge as a subject of comprehensive study in the future.
5. Fearlessness in the face of uncertainty:
It would be well worthwhile to study the principles underlying current strategies that would allow for a reduction in risks, avoidance of surprises and overcoming of uncertainty; previously-investigated strategies must be modified using available knowledge. We must learn to navigate the ocean of uncertainty around us by relying on islands of certainty.
6. Teaching of mutual understanding:
Mutual understanding between people, among those both near and far, is rapidly emerging as vital to the advancement of human relations, which break down due to misunderstanding.
7. Ethics of humanism:
At issue here is a discussion of two of the most critical ethical-political concerns of the last millennium: establishing reciprocal control between society and the individual by way of democracy, and viewing Humanism as the key to establishing planetary cooperation. Education must advance not only our consciousness of our Earthly existence, but also serve to transform this consciousness into the human desire to become a true citizen of planet Earth.