Education and the Concept of Time

Abstract

As we speak about time in the context of everyday life, we have no problem with what we mean by time. We take time as given. Different kinds of theories of development rely on the ordinary concept of time. Time is a sequence of instants, and we are moving along from the past to the future, from birth to death. Moving in time also means development. It does not take into account how a human being is in the time. It flattens our view of human life and cannot describe our manifold being. According to theories of development, if a child does not behave in a certain instant as the theories expect, there must be a problem with that child or she has not developed as well as others.

Heidegger uses terms like time-space, temporality and ecstases of time. The question of time is of the same kind as the question of Being. We are in the world and in time in the same way. We all have experience of time, how it sometimes goes quickly and sometimes very slowly. Time is not experienced as moments one after another. It is time-space. Time-space means that time has three dimensions and it consists of the ecstatical opening up of the future, the past and the present. In this article, I will open up the question how the traditional understanding of time and the ecstatic understanding of time understand children differently. What does it mean that little children live exclusively in the present?     

Empowering Dialogues in Humanistic Education

Abstract

In this article I propose a conception of empowering educational dialogue within the framework of humanistic education. It is based on the notions of Humanistic Education and Empowerment, and draws on a large and diverse repertoire of dialogues—from the classical Socratic, Confucian and Talmudic dialogues, to the modern ones associated with the works of Nietzsche, Buber, Korczak, Rogers, Gadamer, Habermas, Freire, Noddings and Levinas. These forms of dialogue—differing in their treatment of and emphasis on the cognitive, affective, moral and existentialist elements—have become more dominant in recent educational discourse and practice—an intellectual phenomenon that calls for a more analytic and reflective elaboration of the essential elements that constitute educational dialogues. Hence it is the purpose of this article to elucidate the distinguishing marks of true dialogues, to set them within the normative discourse of humanistic education and empowerment, and to offer a normative and stipulative conception of empowering educational dialogue that can be utilized in the various intellectual and practical spheres of humanistic education—a paradigm,working definition, and outline for contemporary teachers in their quest to develop their students’ sensibilities and sensitivities, and empower their ability to live complete, autonomous, authentic, moral and dignified human lives.     

让雕龙成为飞龙——《文心雕龙》理论"用于今""用于洋"举隅

国人惯于向西方文论取经。论文则回顾中华传统,用《文心雕龙》的神思、丽辞、比兴、附会等理论,评析今人余光中的散文《听听那冷雨》,以及美国人马丁·路德·金的讲词《我有一个梦》,以说明古可以为今用、中可以为洋用。《梦》的众多语句,既用比喻,又用对比,《比兴》《丽辞》二篇的理论,最能说明《梦》的修辞特色。文章认为发扬“龙学”的一个途径,是把它的理论用于实际批评。在当代西方大量诘屈聱牙、艰深难懂的文论当道之际,发扬“龙学”具有特殊的意义。     

Violence in Schools: Perspectives (and hope) from Galtung and Buber

Research into violence in schools has been growing steadily at an international level, and has shown high degrees of violence at various different levels. Given the seriousness of the problem, finding ways of responding to this issue in schools becomes an imperative for educationists. In this article, we engage with this problem by defending the view that whilst violence might be endemic in schools, there are also real possibilities for working towards different ways of being in relationship in schools. Firstly, we discuss Galtung’s understanding of violence and peace, paying particular attention to his concepts of structural and cultural violence, peacekeeping, peacemaking and peacebuilding. Secondly, we connect Galtung’s notions of peacemaking to Buber’s philosophy of dialogue, in order to make a case for an ‘epistemological shift’ which might enable individuals and communities to achieve ‘peace’. Finally, we direct our argument to the education context and put forward some concrete proposals for peacemaking in schools.     

教育：向生命、生活开放——马丁·布伯对话教育哲学与成人教育实践

本文主要论述了马丁·布伯的对话教育哲学及其成人教育思想与实践。以对话为核心,向生命、生活开放,最终走向自由与个人解放,是马丁·布伯成人教育思想与实践的主旨,其卓有成效的成人教育活动与实践,使之成为20世纪有重要影响的成人教育理论家与活动家。     

The intercultural reentry: Conceptualization and directions for future research

While there has been extensive research on the cultural adjustment of sojourners to a foreign culture, there has been a dearth of literature examining the adjustment of returning sojourners to their home culture (reentry). In order to further understanding of this phenomenon, this article discusses the reentry process as one type of cultural adjustment. First, reentry is defined and described. Secondly, research investigating the two processes of adjustment to a foreign culture and readjustment to the home culture is reviewed, and the two processes are compared and contrasted. Finally, suggestions are made concerning future research.     

Education,knowledge, and symbolic form

This article aims to introduce Ernst Cassirer, and his philosophy of symbolic form, to education studies, and, in doing so, to challenge the widespread but deeply flawed views of knowledge and so-called knowledge-based education that have shaped recent education policy in England. After sketching the current educational landscape, and then some of the main lines of flight in Cassirer’s work, time is given to a comparison with Heidegger—a more familiar figure by far in Anglophone philosophy than Cassirer, and who contributed to the displacement of Cassirer—in order to illustrate more clearly Cassirer’s original contribution, in particular to the relationship between knowledge and time. Cassirer’s view of knowledge stands in marked and critical contrast to that which has shaped recent educational reform in England, as he sees knowledge as a productive and expressive matter, and repudiates what I call the ‘building-blocks’ picture of knowledge and the hierarchisation of subject areas.     

人文主义视角下巴赫众赞歌的美学观照

以人文主义视角,分析巴赫众赞歌的若干谱例,并追溯巴赫众赞歌与马丁·路德宗教改革的精神渊源,指出面对当下公众审美素养普遍下降、精神素质恶化的现实,有必要重提人文精神。     

马丁·施雷廷格的图书馆学思想与贡献

马丁·施雷廷格在世界图书馆学史上占据重要地位,他的理论与实践研究成果集中反映在1808—1829年出版的《图书馆学教程》和1834年出版的《图书馆学概览》中。他首创"图书馆学"一词并定义了其概念;构建起以图书馆、图书馆学、图书馆设施的目的、图书馆学的最高原则、图书馆应该满足的文献需求的种类、保障满意程度的一般措施六个基本概念为核心的理论纲领,统领图书馆学的理论建设;他摒弃了当时图书馆图书排架及分类目录必须反映自然秩序的主流做法,提出图书馆的目的就是迅速地满足人们所有的文献需求,并为此创制了世界上最早的主题目录;他还正式倡导建立图书馆学专业教育和专门学校。施雷廷格是现代图书馆学的开创者,其人文主义特征的学术思想对图书馆学的发展具有深远的影响。     

Embryonic stem cells and their genetic modification Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine 2007

The derivation of embryonic stem cells from mice and the development of techniques that allow for targeted manipulation of its genome have allowed for the generation of mice with desired mutations. This is what led to the announcement in Stockholm in 2007 — “The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institute today decided to award the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 2007 jointly to Mario R Capecchi, Martin J Evans and Oliver Smithies for their discoveries of Principles for introducing specific gene modifications in mice by the use of embryonic stem cells”. Martin J Evans was recognised for his derivation and establishment of mouse embryonic stem cells while Mario Capecchi and Oliver Smithies were honoured for techniques that allowed site-specific modification of sequences within the genome of these cells. Such cells were then used to generate animals that had their genome altered specifically and at desired locations. For this valuable body of work, all three shared the prize equally. To date, almost half of the genes in the mouse genome have been modified using their techniques. This has led to a better understanding of mammalian physiology, development and diseases. Mitradas M. Panicker is on the faculty of the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, India. His research interests include stem cells, serotonin and its receptors and neurobiology.