WHY STILL EDUCATION? 3

(CONFERENCE VISION)

Humanism, Posthumanism, Anti-Humanism: Educational Perspectives

Grasping the present situation of our human and educational history requires (re)thinking a number of important questions. Has the world changed dramatically or is it our image of the world that has changed? When we talk about the changed world, are we talking about the human condition (conditio humana), our image of humanity (imago hominis), or both? Are we already living in the posthuman age or in the age of posthumanist thinking? What impact does the posthuman paradigm have on educational theory and practice? What impact could or should it have?  If education has been traditionally observed as the synonym for humanisation, which embeds humanist and neohumanist ideals as its foundation and key inspiration, does it mean that education will be transformed alongside the envisaged transformation of humanity?  Is posthuman education actually the death of humanity as we know it? Do the critiques and suggestions that arise within antihumanism, transhumanism, metahumanism, and posthumanism effectively negate the idea of (still) ongoing education or can education actually absorb these new forces in its practice to continue its ancient mission and meaning? Is there another way and what is it? What is actually the mission of posthuman education? What does it look like? How does it work? What techniques, strategies, and pedagogies can we use to stay true to its charter and its vision? What are its goals? What does it aim to preserve or destroy with regards to the humanist ideals? Does the decentering of educational vision from humans to an equal inclusion of other – or more-than-human world – require a slight or thorough revision of the curriculum? Does it require an open debate around its place and role in pedagogy and education in all forms? What are the challenges and potential dangers?  Of course, the answers to these questions depend on our understanding of humanism and posthumanism, the critique surrounding both, and what we consider that education is for or should become. We invited the global scholarly and teacher community to submit abstracts for the conference that provide theoretical, philosophical, sociological, practical or any disciplinary insights on the reflections and questions we shared above.