Abstract
In this chapter we present the philosophical basis of heutagogy from our point of view. Based on the writings of Michel Serres, we discuss the ideas of knowledge and learning as wandering in a networked world. Our concept of heutagogy is strongly influenced by the French philosopher Michel Serres, (mainly 1964 [1968]; 1968; 1991 [1997]; 2015 [2012]; 2016). We embrace Serres’ (a member of the French academy, 1930–2019) “image of thought” of the world as a network, the figures of Hermes and the “instructed third” (le tiers instruit), and the claim that there is no learning without wandering. At the centre of Serres’ view stands the notion of the third (le tiers) which has logical, epistemological, and ethical aspects. We’ll begin by uncovering the logical features of the learning-as-wandering process and examine its ethical significance.
Certainly, I never learned anything unless I left, nor taught someone else without inviting him to leave his nest…
(Serres, 1997, p. 7)
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Notes
- 1.
For the idea of the rhizome and its application to education see: (Back & Mansur, 2016; Cormier, 2008; Gorodezki & Barak, 2016; Semetsky, 2008). We prefer to use the mesh network concept because it is part of a larger typological theory which can refer to processes such as star and bus type learning (see Chap. 3). The rhizome, which is a biological phenomenon (e.g., grass), is a more limited metaphor since it is impossible that every node in the rhizome will be connected to any other.
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Glassner, A., Back, S. (2020). The Philosophy of Heutagogy . In: Exploring Heutagogy in Higher Education. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4144-5_6
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