ERIC Number: EJ1232312
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019-Aug
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0309-8249
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Kindred Spirits: Learning to Love Nature the Posthuman Way
Engelmann, Sebastian
Journal of Philosophy of Education, v53 n3 p503-517 Aug 2019
In times of ecological crisis Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) becomes more and more important. However, ESD mostly understands nature as a resource that must be catered to for securing the survival of mankind. This article criticises the anthropocentric foundation of ESD. Therefore, the article first introduces the concept of 'making kin' by Donna Haraway enriched with a critical discussion of subjectivity and agency by Judith Butler. Making kin describes a process that understands entities besides human beings as equal partners in action and symmetrical parts in networks of agents. Instead of understanding human subjects as the only nodes of power, Haraway grasps the social world as a string figure in which different knots are equally important for acting, living and dying together. Second, the article offers a re-reading of Bernhard Heinrich Blasche's text "Naturbildung," focusing on the process of making kin implicitly sketched out in this text. The German text from the 18th century is evaluated with regard to its understanding of nature and interconnectedness of life-forms. I argue that Blasche's understanding of the human situatedness in an environment can be read as a predecessor to posthumanist understandings of nature, culture and agency. Finally, the paper connects the different threads and argues for a posthumanist understanding of love. Instead of love for the world, affectionate love in the world is not limited to human entities. A general understanding of love as the foundational principle of awareness, interconnectedness and situatedness is introduced that can enrich the discussion of pedagogical love.
Descriptors: Environmental Education, Sustainable Development, Ecology, Humanism, Caring, Physical Environment
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
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