THE ACTUALITY OF NIETZSCHE’S CRITICISM OF EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM REGARDING MODERN KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY
„Thus, my friends do not confound this education, this delicately footed, spoiled, ethereal goddess, with that usable maid which occasionally also is called ‘education’, but which is merely the intellectual maid and counselor for distress of life, for earnings, for neediness.”1 In his five lectures...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nicolae Titulescu University Publishing House
2016-06-01
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| Series: | Challenges of the Knowledge Society |
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| Online Access: | http://cks.univnt.ro/uploads/cks_2016_articles/index.php?dir=10_education_and_sociology%2F&download=CKS+2016_education_and_sociology_art.137.pdf |
| _version_ | 1826954506846339072 |
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| author | Andreas SCHREIBER |
| author_facet | Andreas SCHREIBER |
| author_sort | Andreas SCHREIBER |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | „Thus, my friends do not confound this education, this delicately footed, spoiled, ethereal goddess, with that usable maid which occasionally also is called ‘education’, but which is merely the intellectual maid and counselor for distress of life, for earnings, for neediness.”1 In his five lectures on the “future of educational system” Nietzsche thoroughly criticized the German educational system of his time and the decay of education in general. Although he was very sharp in accusation and pessimistic about his contemporary situation, he nevertheless cherished some hopes regarding some profound and revolutionary changes in the near future that might take place and rescue the classical concept of education. Looking back from today to Nietzsche’s assertions – like the quote above – we can recognize that his critical sketch of former deficiencies of educational system has lost none of its actuality and truth. We rather notice that some of his points just have been actualized only in modern knowledge society than in his time – or at least they have aggravated. Nowadays, knowledge is considered as an economical factor of production, and education is the fundamental precondition for employability. On the way to neoliberal, capitalistic system we have started with exploitation of the knower and have come to reach a status of voluntary self-exploitation of the educated one. Knowledge and education, and the notion of lifelong learning as well as self-actualization and personality growth have become efficient and perfect instruments of neoliberal systems, as they use the freedom and free volition of the individual to enforce their self-exploitation in order to become high-potential consumers. This contribution points out the still existing actuality of Nietzsche’s critical arguments regarding the decay of the concept of education. Moreover, it is to be shown that in the age of the so called knowledge society in neoliberal systems we somehow are on the peak of the era of nihilism, as it was predicted by Nietzsche almost hundred fifty years before. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T02:34:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-72f7309449f34408b28c344d0d5bd9fa |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2068-7796 2068-7796 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-02-17T23:38:02Z |
| publishDate | 2016-06-01 |
| publisher | Nicolae Titulescu University Publishing House |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Challenges of the Knowledge Society |
| spelling | doaj.art-72f7309449f34408b28c344d0d5bd9fa2024-12-02T02:29:18ZengNicolae Titulescu University Publishing HouseChallenges of the Knowledge Society2068-77962068-77962016-06-016-953960THE ACTUALITY OF NIETZSCHE’S CRITICISM OF EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM REGARDING MODERN KNOWLEDGE SOCIETYAndreas SCHREIBER0PhD in philosophy. Head of Cura Vitae – Philosophical Counceling„Thus, my friends do not confound this education, this delicately footed, spoiled, ethereal goddess, with that usable maid which occasionally also is called ‘education’, but which is merely the intellectual maid and counselor for distress of life, for earnings, for neediness.”1 In his five lectures on the “future of educational system” Nietzsche thoroughly criticized the German educational system of his time and the decay of education in general. Although he was very sharp in accusation and pessimistic about his contemporary situation, he nevertheless cherished some hopes regarding some profound and revolutionary changes in the near future that might take place and rescue the classical concept of education. Looking back from today to Nietzsche’s assertions – like the quote above – we can recognize that his critical sketch of former deficiencies of educational system has lost none of its actuality and truth. We rather notice that some of his points just have been actualized only in modern knowledge society than in his time – or at least they have aggravated. Nowadays, knowledge is considered as an economical factor of production, and education is the fundamental precondition for employability. On the way to neoliberal, capitalistic system we have started with exploitation of the knower and have come to reach a status of voluntary self-exploitation of the educated one. Knowledge and education, and the notion of lifelong learning as well as self-actualization and personality growth have become efficient and perfect instruments of neoliberal systems, as they use the freedom and free volition of the individual to enforce their self-exploitation in order to become high-potential consumers. This contribution points out the still existing actuality of Nietzsche’s critical arguments regarding the decay of the concept of education. Moreover, it is to be shown that in the age of the so called knowledge society in neoliberal systems we somehow are on the peak of the era of nihilism, as it was predicted by Nietzsche almost hundred fifty years before.http://cks.univnt.ro/uploads/cks_2016_articles/index.php?dir=10_education_and_sociology%2F&download=CKS+2016_education_and_sociology_art.137.pdfNietzscheknowledge societyeducationeducational systememployabilityneoliberal systemself-exploitationlifelong learning. |
| spellingShingle | Andreas SCHREIBER THE ACTUALITY OF NIETZSCHE’S CRITICISM OF EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM REGARDING MODERN KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY Challenges of the Knowledge Society Nietzsche knowledge society education educational system employability neoliberal system self-exploitation lifelong learning. |
| title | THE ACTUALITY OF NIETZSCHE’S CRITICISM OF EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM REGARDING MODERN KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY |
| title_full | THE ACTUALITY OF NIETZSCHE’S CRITICISM OF EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM REGARDING MODERN KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY |
| title_fullStr | THE ACTUALITY OF NIETZSCHE’S CRITICISM OF EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM REGARDING MODERN KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY |
| title_full_unstemmed | THE ACTUALITY OF NIETZSCHE’S CRITICISM OF EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM REGARDING MODERN KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY |
| title_short | THE ACTUALITY OF NIETZSCHE’S CRITICISM OF EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM REGARDING MODERN KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY |
| title_sort | actuality of nietzsche s criticism of educational system regarding modern knowledge society |
| topic | Nietzsche knowledge society education educational system employability neoliberal system self-exploitation lifelong learning. |
| url | http://cks.univnt.ro/uploads/cks_2016_articles/index.php?dir=10_education_and_sociology%2F&download=CKS+2016_education_and_sociology_art.137.pdf |
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