Abstract

CARVALHO, José Sérgio. Does freedom educate, or does education free? A critique of the pedagogies of autonomy in the light of Hannah Arendt's thinking. Educ. Pesqui. [online]. 2010, vol.36, n.03, pp.839-851. ISSN 1517-9702.

The link between the objectives of the educational process and the ideals of freedom and autonomy seems to be a common and recurrent element throughout the various pedagogical discourses that left their mark on the 20th century. At first sight, this apparent consensus could indicate a rare agreement within a field characterized by theoretical and practical disputes, usually grounded on diverging assumptions, and that tend to point to conflicting ideals and alternative procedures. In this article, we try to argue that such apparent unanimity tends to vanish as we unveil the different meanings attributed to the ideal of "freedom", and compare the practical efforts through which such ideal is pursued within the field of education. For that, we make use of the analyses of different senses of the concept of “freedom”, contrasting the conception that sees in it a political goal to be achieved in public life with the currents that identify it either with the subjective faculty of the will, or with the non-interference in individual choices. Lastly, we seek to establish the connection between these conceptions of freedom and different pedagogical discourses, analyzing the current trends associated with the “pedagogy of autonomy” in the light of the political thinking of Hannah Arendt and her reflections about the education crisis of the modern world.

Keywords : Philosophy of Education; Education and Freedom; Theories of Education; Arendt.

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