A Wayfarer in School Land: A Philosophical Time Trip to Civilisation

Authors

  • Matti Itkonen Philosophy of Art and Esthetic Education, Department of Teacher Education, Faculty of Education, University of Turku, Finland Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26417/hqhbdg51

Keywords:

existential journey; linguistic home; ethics and temporality; memories of the past; visions of the future; mirror of modern times

Abstract

How does the spirit of an age influence the prevailing ideal of education and civilisation at any given moment? Do education, civilisation, cultivativeness, and refinement mean the same thing? Is the spirit of a place linked to different educational ideals? In contemporary discourse, does the concept of education and civilisation transform into nothing more than a pawn in the game of politics? Can we talk about the school of yesterday and the school of tomorrow? Or do they both just mean a similar kind of educational institution? Is the concept of a book-based education becoming entirely obsolete in this era that worships electricity and artificial intelligence as deities? There are many such questions. The philosophical wayfarer in school land, an educational time traveller, sets out in search of answers. His success in this endeavour is possible only if his cultural perspective is both essayistic and deeply reflective in nature. Thus, the school land wayfarer must be able to present himself simultaneously as a herald, as a messenger of both artisticness and scientific inquiry. Let us wish him luck in this demanding task.

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Published

2026-04-18

Issue

Section

Articles