PESA Mid-Year Symposium: What Are Philosophers of Education For in a Destitute Time?
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What are philosophers of education for in a destitute time?
What are philosophers of education for in a destitute time?
But alas! We’ve come too late. For, though the gods still live on,
It’s up in the other world they are, over our heads.
There they’ve not ceased. And yet, such is their gentle forbearance,
It seems they no longer care to be bothered with us.
For we’re delicate vessels, we mortals, easily shattered,
And their presence is pressure we can scarcely sustain.
Bread and Wine (segment) – Friedrich Hölderlin
The gods have fled. The fires that once gathered us, set on a hill, in a temple, in the hearth, are extinguished. In their stead, plagues of fireflies torment us with their dark seductive light.
Are philosophers of education unwittingly preparing a new home for the gods? The turn towards Indigenous cosmologies; the supremacy of the other and sanctity of the stranger; our neo-gnostic entanglements with the other-than-human; our bewitchment with AI as a deus ex machina; ritualised identities and magical selfhood; the call for a rational, globalised humanity: are these not attempts to cope with our exile from a once sacred world? Are philosophers of education trying to re-imagine and re-impose the holy…or simply remember it? What are we forgetting?
Lineup
Maurizio Toscano
Dr Maurizio Toscano is a Senior Lecturer in Science Education at the University of Melbourne. His philosophical and conceptual research concerns the artistic, cultural, and political place of science in society and its relationship to the purposes of education. His work contributes to a re-examination the role of education in mediating between science and society.
Nataša Ciabatti
Dr Nataša Ciabatti is a Lecturer in TESOL and Literacy at Federation University Australia. Her work focuses on intercultural education, language pedagogy, and teacher preparation. Her research examines the role of language and education in migrants’ transitions to Australian society, with particular attention to how educational practices can foster inclusion, participation, and social cohesion.
Jing Su
Jing Su is a PhD candidate and Teaching Associate in the Faculty of Education at Monash University. His research investigates the experiences of students living and studying in closed Buddhist communities in China, with a particular focus on autonomy — especially how the ability to construct a sense of self and make decisions based on that self matters for living a good life in a context where “non-self” is a key tenet and collectivist values seem to triumph. Prior to commencing his PhD, Jing was a fiction writer and spent a decade studying and teaching in Chinese Buddhist academies.
Jake Muir
Jake Muir is a PhD candidate and casual academic at the University of Melbourne. His research examines the challenges of discussing controversial issues in Philosophy for/with Children-informed classrooms. He has experience as a secondary school teacher, school leader, and teacher educator, and holds leadership roles with the Victorian Association of Philosophy in Schools and the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority.
David Clements
David Clements is a Lecturer in Teacher Education and a Research Fellow in the Institute for Sustainable Industries and Liveable Cities (ISILC) at Victoria University. His research examines the nature and relationship of philosophy and education, exploring in particular, ideas of educational modality, necessity, and possibility.
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