Paideia, Prejudice and the Promise of the Practical Essay -- Philosoph

Paideia, evil and the Promise of the PracticalIn an age of radical pluralism it is increasingly grueling to affirm and sustain the educational aspirations of Greek paideia (Latin humanitas). The most challenging attacks on these aspirations come from standpoints which share a postmodern attitude of opposition towards patrimonial cultural ideals, especially those which claim universality. This paper first examines optimistic and hopeless prospects for the educational heritage of humanitas, concluding that, in the face of cultural peculiarity which is increasingly evident in post-Enlightenment cultures, the pessimistic case come outs to be more than convincing. Recognizing that this gives added impetus to postmodernist standpoints, the second section examines some key features of these, victorious as its examples arguments of Lyotard, Foucault and Rorty. I show that the prejudices of the postmodernist arguments are as discriminatory as the discriminatory assumptions and the n eglect of the quality of educational practice in the Western cultural inheritance. Recalling some insights which can be gleaned from the educational practices of Socrates, the hold out section joins these with findings of contemporary philosophers on the pre-judgements and partiality which are inescapable features of human understanding. This is a reclamation and elucidation of a practical and promising humanitas which does nicety to the claims of diversity and universality. Introduction Hard Times for PaideiaTo many it may seem quaint or quixotic to make the ancient notion of paideia the proposition of a world conference of philosophy in cultural slew which are variously described as post-industrial, post-Marxist, post-Christian, post-religious, or post-mod... ... in R. Hollinger (ed.) Hermeneutics and practice (Notre Dame University of Notre Dame, 1985).(16) Richard Rorty, Private Irony and Liberal Hope in his Contingency, irony, and solidarity (henceforth CIS) (Cambridge Ca mbridge University Press, 1989).(17) Richard Rorty, philosophical system and the Mirror of Nature (henceforth PMN) (Oxford Basil Blackwell, 1980) pp.357-365.(18) Hans-Georg Gadamer, Truth and Method (T&M) translation of Wahrheit und Methode (W&M) by G. Barden & J. Cumming (New York Seabury Press, 1975).(19) T&M, pp.10-11 W&M, pp.6-7.(20) PMN pp.358-359.(21) PMN p.351.(22) CIS, p.73.(23) CIS, pp.74-75.(24) Heraclitus, Fragment 45, quoted by Jaeger in Paideia, Bk.1, p.179.(25) These earlier Dialogues entangle Gorgias, Protagoras, Euthyphro, Apology, Crito and Bk.1 of Republic. (26) Plato, Apology, 23.(27) D&P, p.27.