Existentialism and Education in the Anthropocene

• In Event: Philosophical and Methodological Approaches in Environmental Education

Abstract

What could existentialism -­‐ an ostensibly eclipsed intellectual movement from a bygone era -­‐ possibly offer education in today’s world of ecological emergency? We suggest looking to the pedagogical possibilities of an eco-existentialism – most notably the works of Arendt, Camus, Sartre and Buber. The existentialists provide the philosophical grist to re-engage in timely themes such as: the flight from displeasing truths to pleasing falsehoods or the pitfalls of a desperate and individualistic quietism. Drawing on our research working with in-service teachers in the Canadian public school system we collective dig into the questions 'What does it mean to be an educator in this time of ecological crises?' and 'What might these existential thinkers might offer us in this essential work?'.

Authors

• Sean Blenkinsop

• Michael De Danann Datura, Simon Fraser University

• Laura Piersol, Simon Fraser University