By Lene Rachel Andersen
Solving today’s complex problems requires a deep human understanding. Ironically, we have removed from education exactly that which gave us that understanding.
Climate change, wars, pollution, inequality, and other wicked problems are all man made. They are deeply tied to our understanding of the world, and we can only solve them if we understand not only the problems better but also ourselves. What drives us? What are our fears and hopes? Why do we behave against our own long-term interests?
The subjects that allow us to understand this are philosophy, literature, history, psychology, history of ideas, and the arts. And guess what: those are the exact subjects that have been cancelled and removed from our educational systems every time education has been “optimized” and “improved” by politicians and economists.
No wonder we cannot solve our problems! We do not understand the beings who create them!
What we need is broader and deeper education for all: bildung.
Join us in at the European Bildung Day for a discussion about the bildung we need in the 21st Century and for the drafting of a European Bildung Manifesto. It is in Vilnius and online May 8-9. Read more and sign up here: https://www.globalbildung.net/ebd2023/