The logic of modern education and the principle of controversiality

Thomas  Rucker

doi:10.21697/fp.2021.1.20

Published: 2021-10-27

Vol. 11 No. 1 (2021)

The logic of modern education and the principle of controversiality

Thomas Rucker

Pedagogical Forum

Section: Colloquia

https://doi.org/10.21697/fp.2021.1.20

Abstract

In recent years, philosophy of education increasingly has been addressing the question of which controversial issues should be taught as controversial in the context of public education. In this article, I will consider this question from an educational point of view; in other words, keeping in mind the specific logic of modern education. On the one hand this enables us to contextualize the debate about the principle of controversiality in terms of educational theory. On the other hand, it grapples with a specific gap in educational descriptions of public education: Although there is support for the principle of controversiality, the question about possible criteria for differentiating between issues that are to be addressed in a directive versus non-directive manner has received little attention up to now. My proposed solution to this problem involves a combination of two criteria, each of which can be justified in relation to the overarching task of modern education – the enablement of Bildung.

Keywords:

education; logic; controversial issues; public sphere; Bildung

Download files

pdf

Citation rules

Rucker , T. . (2021). The logic of modern education and the principle of controversiality. Pedagogical Forum, 11(1), 315–331. https://doi.org/10.21697/fp.2021.1.20

Cited by / Share

References

Anhalt, E. (1999). Bildsamkeit und Selbstorganisation. Johann Friedrich Herbarts Konzept der Bildsamkeit als Grundlage einer pädagogischen Theorie der Selbstorganisation organismischer Aktivität. Weinheim: Deutscher Studienverlag.
Google Scholar

Ballauff, Th. (1993). Über die Unerlässlichkeit der Bildung. In: M Borelli (ed.). Deutsche Gegenwartspädagogik. Baltmannsweiler: Schneider, pp. 1–19.
Google Scholar

Bellmann, J. (2014). Educational Theory, Nature of. In: D. C. Phillips (ed.). Encyclopedia of Educational Theory. Los Angeles: Sage Publications, pp. 273–280.
Google Scholar

Benner, D. (1988/1990). A Non-Affirmative Theory of Education: Its Fundamental Questions and Approach. In: Education. A Biannual Collection of Recent German Contributions to the Field of Educational Research, 42, pp. 91–105.
Google Scholar

Benner, D. (2015). Allgemeine Pädagogik. Eine systematisch-problemgeschichtliche Einführung in die Grundstruktur pädagogischen Denkens und Handelns. Weinheim and Basel: Beltz Juventa.
Google Scholar

Benner, D. (2018). Religion im Kontext öffentlicher Bildung und Erziehung. In: S. Müller, W. Sander (eds.). Bildung in der postsäkularen Gesellschaft. Weinheim and Basel: Beltz Juventa, pp. 144–162.
Google Scholar

Benner, D. (2019). Über die eigenlogische Normativität der Erziehung und ihre Bezüge zu anderen Normativitätsansprüchen. „Vierteljahresschrift für wissenschaftliche Pädagogik“, 3, 317–332.
Google Scholar

Benner, D. (2020). Umriss der allgemeinen Wissenschaftsdidaktik. Grundlagen und Orientierungen für Lehrerbildung, Unterricht und Forschung. Weinheim and Basel: Beltz Juventa.
Google Scholar

Benner D., Stepkowski, D. (2012). Warum Erziehung in Demokratien nicht politisch fundiert werden kann. In: E. Anhalt, D. Stepkowski (eds.). Erziehung und Bildung in politischen Systemen. Jena: Garamond, pp. 49–71.
Google Scholar

Biesta, G. J. J. (2017). The Rediscovery of Teaching. New York and London: Routledge.
Google Scholar

Biesta, G. J. J. (2020a). Can the prevailing description of educational reality be considered complete? On the Parks-Eichmann paradox, spooky action at a distance, and a missing dimension in the theory of education. „Policy Futures in Education“, 4, 1011–1025.
Google Scholar

Biesta, G. J. J. (2020b). What constitutes the good of education? Reflections on the possibility of educational critique. „Educational Philosophy and Theory“, 10, 1023–1027.
Google Scholar

Brüggen, F. (1997). Bildsamkeit und Mündigkeit des Subjekts. Bildungsgeschichtliche und bildungstheoretische Überlegungen zu einer (nicht nur) pädagogischen Idee. „Franz Fischer Jahrbuch für Philosophie und Pädagogik“, 3, pp. 111–125.
Google Scholar

Brüggen, F. (1999). Bildung als Orientierungsform. Bemerkungen zur Stellung der Bildung zwischen Ethik und Wissenschaft. In: A. Wenger-Hadwig (ed.). Verführung in orientierungsloser Zeit. Innsbruck and Wien: Tyrolia, pp. 43–66.
Google Scholar

Cooling, T. (2012). What is a Controversial Issue? Implications for the Treatment of Religious Beliefs in Education. „Journal of Beliefs and Values“, 2, pp. 169–181.
Google Scholar

Gregory, M. R. (2014). The Procedurally Directive Approach to Teaching Controversial Issues. „Educational Theory“, 6, pp. 627–649.
Google Scholar

Hand, M. (2008). What Should We Teach As Controversial? A Defense of the Epistemic Criterion. „Educational Theory“, 2, pp. 213–228.
Google Scholar

Hand, M. (2014). Afterwords: Response to Warnick and Smith. „Educational Theory“, 4. pp. 425–426.
Google Scholar

Hess, D. E., McAvoy, P. (2014). The Political Classroom: Evidence and Ethics in Democratic Education. New York: Routledge.
Google Scholar

Lobkowicz, N. (2003). Über Werte. „Studies in East European Thought“, 4, pp. 367–386.
Google Scholar

Luhmann, N. (2012). Theory of Society. Vol. 1. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
Google Scholar

Luhmann, N. (2013). Theory of Society. Vol. 2. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
Google Scholar

Rucker, Th. (2019). Erziehender Unterricht, Bildung und das Problem der Rechtfertigung. „Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft“, 3, pp. 647–663.
Google Scholar

Rucker, Th. (2020a). Der oblique Blick. Öffentliche Erziehung, Nichtaffirmativität und die Herausforderung des Pluralismus. „Jahrbuch für Allgemeine Didaktik“, pp. 71–88.
Google Scholar

Rucker, Th. (2020b). Teaching and the Claim of Bildung: The View from General Didactics. „Studies in Philosophy and Education“, 1, pp. 51–69.
Google Scholar

Rucker, Th., Anhalt, E. (2017). Perspektivität und Dynamik. Studien zur erziehungswissenschaftlichen Komplexitätsforschung. Weilerswist: Velbrück.
Google Scholar

Saetra, E. (2019). Teaching Controversial Issues: A Pragmatic View of the Criterion Debate. „Journal of Philosophy of Edcation“, 2, pp. 323–339.
Google Scholar

Sünkel, W. (2013). Erziehungsbegriff und Erziehungsverhältnis. Allgemeine Theorie der Erziehung. Weinheim and Basel: Beltz Juventa.
Google Scholar

Tibble, J. W. (1971). The Development of the Study of Education. In: J. W. Tibble (ed.). An introduction to the study of education. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, pp. 5–17.
Google Scholar

Tillson, J. (2017). When to Teach for Belief: A Tempered Defense of the Epistemic Criterion. „Educational Theory“, 2, pp. 173–191.
Google Scholar

Uljens, M., Ylimaki, R. M. (2017). Non-affirmative Theory of Education as a Foundation for Curriculum Studies, Didaktik and Educational Leadership. In: M. Uljens, R. M. Ylimaki (eds.). Bridging Educational Leadership, Curriculum Theory and Didaktik. Non-affirmative Theory of Education. Dordrecht: Springer, pp. 3–145.
Google Scholar

Warnick, B. R., Spencer Smith, D. (2014). The Controversy over Controversies: A Plea for Flexibility and for “Soft-directive” Teaching. „Educational Theory“, 3, pp. 227–244.
Google Scholar

Wehling, H.-G. (1977). Konsens à la Beutelsbach? In: S. Schiele, H. Schneider (eds.) Das Konsensproblem in der politischen Bildung. Stuttgart; Klett, pp. 173–184.
Google Scholar

Yacek, D. (2018). Thinking Controversially: The Psychological Condition for Teaching Controversial Issues. „Journal of Philosophy of Education“, 1, pp. 71–86.
Google Scholar

Zimmerman, J., Robertson, E. (2017). The Case for Contention. Teaching Controversial Issues in American Schools. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press.
Google Scholar