Education as Human Knowledge in the Anthropocence

Education as Human Knowledge in the Anthropocence

-- The question how we view people and their education at the beginning of the Anthropocene is a historical and culturally new question, the answer to which will shape our future and the future of our planet. --


The history of education can be understood as a series of attempts to make children, adolescents and adults reach perfection. At the beginning of modernism, new images of humans and their education are being drawn up which, in the discourse of modernity, are being given their intellectual elaboration and precision. With the diversification and fragmentation of society, anthropological research and reflection are becoming an indispensable part of education. The result is an interplay between repetition and creativity which creates differences, the mimetic processes of cultural learning and imagination. The anthropological and pedagogical knowledge from the great cultures of China and India is increasingly gaining importance for Europe. In the end, we are being forced to deal with the negative developments of the human age such as global warming, environmental degradation, the consumption of non-renewable raw materials and energy. Increased efforts to reduce violence, better manage aging and sustainable development are needed and should become a main focus in education. How successful this will be currently remains an open question.