Abstract
Although the idea of nature has allbut disappeared from recent discussion ofeducation, it remains highly relevant to thephilosophy and practice of education, sincetacit notions of human nature and whatconstitutes underlying reality – the `natural'order of things – necessarily orientateseducation in fundamental ways. It is arguedthat underlying our various senses of nature isthe idea of nature as the `self-arising' whoseintrinsic integrity, mystery and valueimplicitly condition our understanding ofourselves and of the reality in which we live.I argue that the acknowledgement of nature soconceived opens up a perspective on educationthat requires us to review currently dominanttechnological notions of truth and knowledge,and also of what should characterize theprocess of education, reasserting the properplace of more intuitive, local and dialogicalknowledge and relationships.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Bonnett, M. (2000). Environmental concern and the metaphysics of education. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 34(4), 591-602.
Bonnett, M. (1999). Education for sustainable development: A coherent philosophy for environmental education? Environmental Education, Sustainabilty and the Transformation of Schooling, Cambridge Journal of Education, special issue, 29.3, 313-324.
Bonnett, M. (2002). Education for sustainability as a frame of mind. Environmental Education Research, 8(1), 9-20.
Bonnett, M. (2003). Retrieving Nature. Education for a Post-Humanist Age. Journal of Philosophy of Education Special Issue, 37(4).
Collins, S., Osborne, J., Ratcliffe, M., Millar, R., & Duschl, R. (2001). What 'ideas about science' should be taught in school science? A Delphi Study of the 'expert' community. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, 26-29th March, 2001, St Louis.
Connelly, J. & Smith, G. (1999). Politics and the environment. London: Routledge.
Dearden, R. (1968). The philosophy of primary education. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
DfEE & QCA (1999). The national curriculum handbook for primary teachers in England. London: HMSO.
Grange, J. (1997). Nature. An environmental cosmology. New York: State University of New York.
Heidegger, M. (1975). Poetry, language, thought. NewYork: Harper Row.
Heidegger, M. (1997). The question concerning technology and other essays. New York: Harper Row.
Manley Hopkins, G. (1979). The major poems, edited by W. Davies. London: J. M. Dent.
McCarthy, K. (1995). Science: Power or wisdom? School Science Review, 76, 276.
McKibben, W. (1989). The end of nature. New York: Random House.
Mathews, F. (1994). The ecological self. London: Routledge.
Milton, K. (1998). Nature and the environment in indigenous and traditional cultures. In D. Cooper & J. Palmer (Eds), The spirit of the environment. London: Routledge.
Oakeshott, M. (1972). Education: The engagement and its frustration. In R. Dearden, P. Hirst & R. Peters (Eds), Education and the development of reason. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
Passmore, J. (1980). Man's responsibility for nature. London: Duckworth.
Peters, R.S. (1969). Perspectives on Plowden. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
Rist, G. (1997). The history of development: From western origins to global faith. London: Zed Books.
Rolston III, H. (1997). Nature for real: Is nature a social construct? In T. Chapell (Ed), The philosophy of the environment. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Ross, R. (1992). Dancing with a ghost. Markham, ON: Octopus Publishing Group.
Shiva, V. (1992). Recovering the real meaning of sustainability. In D. Cooper & J. Palmer (Eds), Spirit of the environment. London: Routledge.
Singer, P. (1993). Practical ethics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Taylor, P. (1986). Respect for nature. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Whitehead, A.N. (1925). Science and the modern world. London: Free Association Books.
Wissenburg, M. (1995). The idea of nature and the nature of distributive justice. In A. Dobson & P. Lucardie (Eds), The politics of nature. London: Routledge.