ERIC Number: EJ1371105
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Mar
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0039-3746
EISSN: EISSN-1573-191X
Human Flourishing, Wonder, and Education
Schinkel, Anders; Wolbert, Lynne; Pedersen, Jan B.W.; de Ruyter, Doret J.
Studies in Philosophy and Education, v42 n2 p143-162 Mar 2023
Various authors see human flourishing as the overarching aim to which education should contribute. We ask whether fostering "wonder" can help education attain this aim. We discuss two possibilities: firstly, it may be that having a sense of wonder as adults (possibly fostered by and/or refined due to education) contributes to flourishing itself. Secondly, it may be that fostering wonder in education increases the likelihood that education promotes flourishing, which it might do simply by increasing children's intrinsic interest in what they learn. We argue that there are many plausible connections between wonder and human flourishing (relating to its epistemic and aesthetic dimensions, among others), and that we have reason to believe that early experiences can influence adults' capacity for wonder. Furthermore, wonder increases the likelihood that education 'succeeds'; and it supports people's ability to live well by heightening their appreciation for the world, helping to uncover baseless beliefs, and increasing their awareness of possible goods. In sum, while having a sense of wonder may not be a constitutive element of human flourishing, it is hard to imagine education for human flourishing that is not also wonder-full education.
Descriptors: Educational Philosophy, Individual Development, Student Interests, Learning Experience, Beliefs, Positive Attitudes, Learning Motivation, Metacognition
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A