scholarly journals Discussion and inquiry: A Deweyan perspective on teaching controversial issues

2021 ◽  
pp. 147787852110521
Author(s):  
Veli-Mikko Kauppi ◽  
Johannes Drerup

There is a steady line of academic discourse around the topic of controversial issues and how to approach them in and through education. In this line of discourse, discussion is widely seen as a primary method of democratic education that is especially suitable to foster its major educational aims, such as tolerance, reciprocal respect, or political autonomy. The aim of this contribution is to show that the widespread emphasis on the educational and political value of discussions as a way to handle controversial issues in education can be problematic and one-sided. It is argued that the focus on discussions sometimes tends to be interpreted as a ‘magic bullet’ to all different sorts of controversies, without sufficient inquiry into the details that make up the controversy. This uniform solution threatens to downplay and underestimates other relevant components which are essential for the intelligent handling of controversial issues, such as practices of inquiry. Instead of questioning the political value and central educational role of discussing controversial issues tout court, the contribution points out some of the blind spots of the current debate and thereby aims to broaden the spectrum of theoretical and practical perspectives on how to approach controversial issues in education.

2005 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 151
Author(s):  
Jan Górski

The church from the beginning of its missionary work tried to substantiate it. Among other things, missionaries kept in their archives artifacts which proved the culture of peoples or nations they evangelized. Not only did they try to preserve local culture but also supported its development. The treasures of culture they collected and kept, in time proliferated and created impressive collections, the cataloguing and exhibiting of which served missionary education. The paper commences with showing the contribution of the church to the preservation of culture of evangelized nations, then it elaborates on the animation and educational role of missionary exhibitions and closes with formal and educational aims which should be accomplished by museums and missionary collections.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 80-91
Author(s):  
S. V. Kudryashov

The article deals with complex and controversial issues related to the uprising and liberation of Prague in May 1945. Interpretation of the events became acute and caused lively discussions in connection with the demolition of the monument to Marshal I. V. Konev on April 3, 2020 by the order of the local municipality. The Czech Republic is also discussing the idea of «perpetuating the role of other liberators» of the capital – soldiers of the ROA division, which for two days (May 6-7) provided assistance to the rebels. Using new documents from the Central archive of the Ministry of defense of the Russian Federation, the author draws a conclusion about the limited influence of the Vlasov units. They, indeed, brought confusion to the German ranks, but early in the morning of May 8, they themselves left Prague on a rapid march. After that, fighting and negotiations between the rebels and the German command continued. The article emphasizes that the main goal of the Soviet military operation from 6 to 11 May 1945 was the defeat of the German Army Group Center. The liberation of Prague was only part of a powerful offensive by three Soviet fronts. Heavy battles for Prague did not happen, but the entry of Soviet tanks into the Czech capital and the subsequent jubilation of local residents became a symbol of the end of the war in Europe. The author concludes that the demolition of monuments to Soviet soldiers and commanders is a manifestation of internal political struggle in the countries where it occurs, and the Czech Republic is only one of these examples.


2013 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 220-243
Author(s):  
Verena Mayer

How do we understand other minds? The current debate uses the iridescent term “empathy” to explain our quite different mindreading capacities. Since no alternatives seemed to be available the discussion has been mostly in a deadlock between “simulation theory” and “theory theory”. Only recently the relevance of phenomenological findings on the issue has been brought forward. In this paper Husserl’s two concepts of “Einfühlung”, as developed in the second volume of his Ideas, are set against the background of the latest discussion. Husserl’s explanation of empathy in terms of analogical experience highlights the transcendental role of empathy in the context of constitution. At the same time it may solve some of the many riddles left by the recent debate.


The concept of a law of nature, while familiar, is deeply puzzling. Theorists such as Descartes think a divine being governs the universe according to the laws which follow from that being’s own nature. Newton detaches the concept from theology and is agnostic about the ontology underlying the laws of nature. Some later philosophers treat laws as summaries of events or tools for understanding and explanation, or identify the laws with principles and equations fundamental to scientific theories. In the first part of this volume, essays from leading historians of philosophy identify central questions: are laws independent of the things they govern, or do they emanate from the powers of bodies? Are the laws responsible for the patterns we see in nature, or should they be collapsed into those patterns? In the second part, contributors at the forefront of current debate evaluate the role of laws in contemporary Best System, perspectival, Kantian, and powers- or mechanisms-based approaches. These essays take up pressing questions about whether the laws of nature can be consistent with contingency, whether laws are based on the invariants of scientific theories, and how to deal with exceptions to laws. These twelve essays, published here for the first time, will be required reading for anyone interested in metaphysics, philosophy of science, and the histories of these disciplines.


1989 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 203-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Mendelson

Because of the recent emphasis on rhetorical context in business and technical writing (BTW) instruction, the problem-solving case has become a staple in BTW classrooms. However, a number of critics have voiced concerns about the use of the rhetorical case. These concerns recall an ancient debate among Roman rhetoricians over an early case-study method called declamation. For contemporary theorists, the debate over case study revolves around its value as a stimulant to problem-solving skills, its ability to imitate the realistic circumstances of professional BTW, and its emphasis on persona and audience along with its deemphasis of the teacher. A full spectrum of arguments on these and other issues in the case-study debate indicates that the discipline is entering a new phase in its deliberations over the role of problem-solving and pragmatics in the BTW classroom.


1909 ◽  
Vol 9 (9-10) ◽  
pp. 471-486
Author(s):  
E M Idelson

One of the parental committees, which are now with us, at secondary educational institutions, with the aim of comprehensively clarifying the educational role of the transitional exams, invited many scientific societies, including our Society of Physicians, to express their opinion on this issue, from the point of view, specifically medical.


2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-8
Author(s):  
Davide Settembre-Blundo ◽  
Alfonso Pedro Fernández del Hoyo ◽  
Fernando Enrique García-Muiña

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the strategic management of risks in companies from a marketing management perspective and to provide some guidance for management practice. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents the authors’ viewpoint, and it conceptualizes a new approach to risk management. Findings The conceptual discussion has opened up a possible new way for enterprises, especially SMEs, to start taking a strategic approach to risk. Originality/value This paper would like to contribute to the current debate on the role of marketing function in managerial practice beyond the classic four Ps.


1989 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Weissman ◽  
Stephen Abram ◽  
J. David Haddox ◽  
Nora Janjan ◽  
Margaret Hopwood ◽  
...  
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