DISCONTINUITY AS THEORETICAL FOUNDATION to PEDAGOGY Existential Phenomenology in Otto Friedrich Bollnow’S Philosophy of Education
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E 126 OULU 2012 E 126 UNIVERSITY OF OULU P.O.B. 7500 FI-90014 UNIVERSITY OF OULU FINLAND ACTA UNIVERSITATIS OULUENSIS ACTA UNIVERSITATIS OULUENSIS ACTA SERIES EDITORS SCIENTIAEE RERUM Jani Koskela SOCIALIUM ASCIENTIAE RERUM NATURALIUM Koskela Jani Senior Assistant Jorma Arhippainen DISCONTINUITY AS BHUMANIORA THEORETICAL FOUNDATION University Lecturer Santeri Palviainen CTECHNICA TO PEDAGOGY Professor Hannu Heusala EXISTENTIAL PHENOMENOLOGY DMEDICA IN OTTO FRIEDRICH BOLLNOW’S Professor Olli Vuolteenaho PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION ESCIENTIAE RERUM SOCIALIUM University Lecturer Hannu Heikkinen FSCRIPTA ACADEMICA Director Sinikka Eskelinen GOECONOMICA Professor Jari Juga EDITOR IN CHIEF Professor Olli Vuolteenaho PUBLICATIONS EDITOR Publications Editor Kirsti Nurkkala UNIVERSITY OF OULU GRADUATE SCHOOL; UNIVERSITY OF OULU, FACULTY OF EDUCATION ISBN 978-951-42-9875-2 (Paperback) ISBN 978-951-42-9876-9 (PDF) ISSN 0355-323X (Print) ISSN 1796-2242 (Online) ACTA UNIVERSITATIS OULUENSIS E Scientiae Rerum Socialium 126 JANI KOSKELA DISCONTINUITY AS THEORETICAL FOUNDATION TO PEDAGOGY Existential phenomenology in Otto Friedrich Bollnow’s philosophy of education Academic dissertation to be presented with the assent of the Doctoral Training Committee of Human Sciences of the University of Oulu for public defence in Kaljusensali (Auditorium KTK 112), Linnanmaa, on 9 November 2012, at 12 noon UNIVERSITY OF OULU, OULU 2012 Copyright © 2012 Acta Univ. Oul. E 126, 2012 Supervised by Professor Pauli Siljander Doctor Ari Kivelä Reviewed by Professor Juhani Aaltola Professor Tero Autio ISBN 978-951-42-9875-2 (Paperback) ISBN 978-951-42-9876-9 (PDF) ISSN 0355-323X (Printed) ISSN 1796-2242 (Online) Cover Design Raimo Ahonen JUVENES PRINT TAMPERE 2012 Koskela, Jani, Discontinuity as theoretical foundation to pedagogy. Existential phenomenology in Otto Friedrich Bollnow’s philosophy of education University of Oulu Graduate School; University of Oulu, Faculty of Education, P.O. Box 2000, FI-90014 University of Oulu, Finland Acta Univ. Oul. E 126, 2012 Oulu, Finland Abstract This study examines German educational philosopher Otto Friedrich Bollnow’s (1903–1991) existential-hermeneutic theory of discontinuous forms of education, unstetige formen der Erziehung. At the core of this theory is a view of human being subjected to education that appears disruptive and critical, influencing the development of disclosing the true powers of a person and unfolding of truths about oneself that could not be uncovered otherwise. Typically, this theory has been interpreted on the continuum of hermeneutic philosophy, as hermeneutic pedagogy with an extension of Martin Heidegger’s fundamental ontology, antisubjectivism and especially his theory of truth as unconcealment. According to this line of interpretation, Bollnow’s project brings an existential addition to classical pedagogical theories, as a level of appealing pedagogy. According to this existentialist view, education in a strict sense cannot really take place: it could not affect the true core of a person, nor this person could be subjected under any pedagogical influence in any meaningful way. The only task left for education is to appeal to the conscience of an already autonomous person. However, in this study it is claimed that this line of interpretation falls short to the fact that Bollnow’s philosophy of education builds heavily on his overall philosophical- anthropological project, which springs from Kant’s first critique and especially, as shown in this work, from Edmund Husserl’s transcendental phenomenology. The study shows, that Bollnow’s discontinuous forms of education are not resulted from hermeneutic educational reality, with an extension of existential potentiality to authenticity of a person. In fact, one could not derive such a view from mere hermeneutics. Instead, what Bollnow’s structural view of educational reality indicates, is that it should be understood as a phenomenological description of a priori categorical structures. It is claimed in the work, that the discontinuous forms are the products of phenomenological reduction. They are derived from the direct experience within consciousness, from the essence of what is experienced, from the very nature of what is it like to be in a process of becoming human. From this perspective, from the subject-point, education cannot be described as a paradox of freedom and restriction between educator and educatee, nor transmission of culture between generations, but instead could be described as the subjective experience of being educated or educating oneself, disclosing oneself to oneself, which is constituted only by the necessary conditions of these subjective experiences of discontinuity. Keywords: Bollnow, discontinuous forms of education, existentialism, formation, phenomenology, philosophy of education, subjectivity Koskela, Jani, Epäjatkuvuus pedagogiikan teoreettisena perustana. Eksistentiaalifenomenologia Otto Friedrich Bollnowin kasvatusfilosofiassa Oulun yliopiston tutkijakoulu; Oulun yliopisto, Kasvatustieteiden tiedekunta, PL 2000, 90014 Oulun yliopisto Acta Univ. Oul. E 126, 2012 Oulu Tiivistelmä Tämä tutkielma tarkastelee saksalaisen kasvatusfilosofi Otto Friedrich Bollnowin eksistentiaali- hermeneuttista teoriaa kasvatuksen epäjatkuvista muodoista, unstetige formen der Erziehung. Tämän teorian ytimessä on näkemys ihmisestä altistettuna kasvatukselle joka näyttäytyy katko- naisena ja kriittisenä, vaikuttaen yksilön todellisten kykyjen ja itseä koskevien totuuksien paljas- tumiseen. Tyypillisesti tämä teoria on tulkittu hermeneuttisen filosofian jatkumolle, hermeneutti- seksi pedagogiikaksi jossa yhdistyy piirteitä Martin Heideggerin fundamentaaliontologiasta, antisubjektivismista sekä erityisesti teoriasta totuudesta paljastumisena. Tämän tulkintalinjan mukaisesti Bollnowin projekti tuo eksistentiaalisen lisän perinteisiin pedagogisiin teorioihin vetoamisen pedagogiikan tasona. Tähän eksistentialistiseen näkemykseen liittyen, kasvatus sen tiukassa mielessä ei ole mahdollista: se ei voisi vaikuttaa yksilön todelliseen ytimeen, eikä tämä yksilö voisi olla kasvatuksen kohteena millään mielekkäällä tavalla. Kasvatuksen ainoaksi tehtä- väksi jää vetoaminen jo valmiiksi autonomisen yksilön omaantuntoon. Kuitenkin, tässä tutki- muksessa esitetään että tämä tulkintalinja epäonnistuu jättäessään huomiotta Bollnowin kasva- tusfilosofian rakentumisen hänen filosofis-pedagogisen antropologian kokonaisprojektinsa poh- jalta. Tämä projekti kumpuaa Kantin ensimmäisestä kritiikistä ja erityisesti, kuten tässä työssä osoitetaan, Edmund Husserlin transsendentaalista fenomenologiasta. Tämä tutkimus osoittaa, ettei Bollnowin epäjatkuvan kasvatuksen muodot pohjaudu herme- neuttiselle kasvatustodellisuudelle, jota on jatkettu yksilön eksistentiaalisen autenttisuuden mah- dollisuuden ajatuksella. Itse asiassa, kyseistä teoriaa ei voisi johtaa hermeneutiikasta. Sen sijaan, Bollnowin kasvatustodellisuuden tasorakenne indikoi tulkintatapaa, jossa se nähdään a prioris- ten kategoriarakenteiden fenomenologisena kuvauksena. Työssä väitetään, että epäjatkuvat muo- dot ovat fenomenologisen reduktion tuotetta. Ne on johdettu tietoisuuden sisällöistä, välittömis- tä kokemuksista, niiden olemuksesta, toisin sanoen, sen luonteesta miltä tuntuu olla ihmiseksi tulemisen prosessissa. Tästä yksilönäkökulmasta käsin kasvatusta ei voida kuvailla vapauden ja pakon välisenä ristiriitana eikä kulttuurin välittämisenä sukupolvelta toiselle, vaan sen sijaan sarjana subjektiivisia katkonaisuuden kokemuksia kasvatetuksi tulemisesta ja itsekasvatuksesta, jossa yksilö paljastaa itseään itselleen. Tämä näkemys kasvatuksesta konstituoituu subjektiivis- ten kokemusten välttämättömyysehtojen kautta. Asiasanat: Bollnow, eksistentialismi, epäjatkuvat kasvatuksen muodot, fenomenologia, kasvatusfilosofia, sivistys, subjektiviteetti Acknowledgements This thesis is based on studies carried out in the Department of Education at the University of Oulu during the years 2007–2012. While writing this book I received financial support from Oulun yliopisto Support Fund and Anna-Liisa Antila-Kaljunen and Aatto Kaljunen Fund. I’ve also had the privilege of having received notable financial support from the Faculty of Education, University of Oulu. I am grateful for all the financial support that made writing this work possible. This thesis is a product of independent reading and writing done mostly in solitude. However, I have benefited from all the colleagues with whom I have been in dialogue with over the past five years or so, directly or indirectly. Among them I especially want to thank Dr. Timo Latomaa, Dr. Eetu Pikkarainen, Dr. Ari Sutinen, Dr. Seppo Laukka, Kimmo Kontio, Teemu Hanhela and Teemu Suorsa. I wish to thank Dr. Kari Väyrynen for insightful comments, conversations and all the help during latter part of my writing process. As a philosopher, his advice has become invaluable. I am grateful to my supervisors professor Pauli Siljander and Dr. Ari Kivelä and for support and in-depth understanding of the importance of my work in this book. A great intellectual debt is undoubtedly to my pre-reviewers professor emeritus Juhani Aaltola and professor Tero Autio, whose encouragement and disarming candor in their reviews have been nearly overwhelming. I am especially thankful to my opponent, professor Pentti Moilanen, whose congenial contribution has enabled the fruitful completion of this academic work. Finally, I want to thank my entire family, my parents and siblings, for their unconditional