This article puts forth Modern Socratic Dialogue as a pedagogical tool for cultivating an American Bildung. Beginning with Michael Hogue’s work on “resilient democracy,” an associational ethos that is vulnerable and based on our lived uncertainty. To further establish this American Bildung, I investigate what it means to be American. Drawing from the works of Michael Walzer and Gloria Anzaldúa, I establish that “American” means unfinished, pluralistic, and embraces ambiguity. The question of how to cultivate this pluralistic, ambiguous, and vulnerable (...) Bildung is framed by the freedom and social bonds of Wilhelm von Humboldt’s theory of Bildung. For an American Bildung to flourish, freedom and social bonds can be presented and practiced in the form of Modern Socratic Dialogue – “truths” are created by the community of interlocutors, and problems and solutions are based on the experiences of the participants. (shrink)

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Modern Socratic Dialogue and Resilient Democracy: Creating the Clearing for an American Bildung1Laura J. Mueller (bio)Michael Hogue’s American Immanence draws from some of the fundamental features of American philosophy: philosophy is not alienated from life, but rather, part and parcel of the structure of our experiences, a way of living. His notion of “resilient democracy” is particularly representative of this tradition of thought. Resilient democracy is, first of all, (...) an ethos, grounded in “the collective experience of uncertainty and animated by the living desire to bring about a more beautiful world.”2 This ethos is an associational, relational one, and it is democratic because, for Hogue, it must be “empathetic, emancipatory, and equitable,” assuming that each member of the association can be enriched by other members” (AI, 172–73). Vital to this democratic ethos is its anti-foundational politics; we start not with an immutable reality, but rather with the vulnerable reality of our actual, political, experiences (AI, 176). We start with where we are, not where some abstract ideal demands we should be. Democracy, for Hogue, is not just a certain political ideal for which to aim, but rather a way of being, a way of life. Dewey writes:A democracy is more than an associated form of government; it is primarily a mode of associated living, of conjoint communicated experience.... These more numerous and more varied points of contact denote a greater diversity of stimuli to which an individual has to respond... They secure a liberation of his powers which remain suppressed as long as the incitations to action are partial, as they must be in a group which in its exclusiveness shuts out many interests.3Throughout this paper, I use “democracy” in this sense; as a way of life, as a relational ethos, not as any particular political system. [End Page 40]As a way of life, democracy is both the process—the struggle—and that which we aim for. This feature of democracy is similar to the structure of Bildung, in which self-cultivation is both the process and the product.4 For example, for Wilhelm von Humboldt, an individual is in “continuing activity,” whose powers are never stagnant; humankind is always progressing, an infinite object.5 This is an end-in-view, not a fixed end.6 Humboldt “did not formulate a catalogue which prescribed what a person should know, what a person should read, what a person should have heard, what a person should have concerned himself with, so that one can say: this person has Bildung.”7 For Humboldt, Bildung is “the development of the capacities of the individual into a harmonious whole.”8 This paper, in part, looks at Hogue’s resilient democracy as a cultivation of both the individual and the group, as Bildung of both self and culture. In particular, the individual and culture that are being cultivated are relational, grounded in an emancipatory, equitable, and empathetic ethos, with a democratic way of life.Similar to the traditional Bildungstradition, education plays a vital role in this kind of democratic cultivation. If our end-in-view is a democratic society, then the method to reach that end must also be democratically ordered. Myles [End Page 41] Horton put it best: “When you believe in a democratic society, you provide a setting for education that is democratic.”9Modern Socratic Dialogue (MSD) is a particular method of philosophical dialogue that engages in and cultivates the ethos of resilient democracy. It cultivates empathy (in listening), pluralism (difference is accommodated and incorporated) and equity (insofar as no special knowledge is required), and anti-foundationalism (participants approach the conversation with epistemic humility, not trying to grasp a Truth as the ground of knowledge, but rather work together to form a common truth that comes out of their situatedness). These are all traits of Hogue’s resilient democracy, and all traits of an American Bildung, our self-correcting vulnerability, a way of being that replaces an unattainable ideal without sacrificing amelioration.Much like the tradition it addresses, this paper is layered; it is polyphonically pluralistic in method and structure. The many voices of this paper are first stratified and folded in... (shrink)

Ernst Haeckel was convinced that the origin of language was the keyto understand human evolution. The distinguished slavist AugustSchleicher was his original inspiration on that matter but hiscousin Wilhelm Bleek was the deciisive source for his views of human language. Bleek lived in Southern Africa, studied Xhosa andZulu, and had the rare opportunity to learn the bushman languagewhich, with its characteristic clicks, suggested the form of theoriginal human language in its evolution from ape-like sounds.Haeckel's view of anthropology based on (...) cultural elements ratherthan physical characters alone was shared by other scholars includingthe Vienna-based Friedrich Mueller who applied Haeckel's approachin his studies during the voyage of the Habsburg ship ``Novara.'' Haeckel's anthropological views were heavily entangled with contemporaryconceps of race so that he and Mueller related different languages todifferent human groups both from a cultural and racial angle. Suchracialist attitude presented obvious political implications which allauthors mentioned denied vehemently. (shrink)

Perhaps no philosopher has so fully explored the nature and conditions of historical understanding as Wilhelm Dilthey. His work, conceived overall as a Critique of Historical Reason and developed through his well-known theory of the human studies, provides concepts and methods still fruitful for those concerned with analyzing the human condition. Despite the increasing recognition of Dilthey's contributions, relati vely few of his writings have as yet appeared in English translation. It is therefore both timely and useful to have (...) available here two works drawn from different phases in the development of his philosophy. The "Ideas Concerning a Descriptive and Analytic Psychology" (1894), now translated into English for the first time, sets forth Dilthey's programma tic and methodological viewpoints through a descriptive psychology, while "The Understanding of Other Persons and Their Expressions of Life" (ca. 1910) is representative of his later hermeneutic approach to historical understanding. DESCRIPTIVE PSYCHOLOGY AND THE HUMAN STUDIES Dilthey presented the first mature statement of his theory of the human studies in volume one of his Einleitung in die Geisteswissenschaften (Introduction to the Human Studies), published in 1883. He argued there that for the proper study of man and history we must eschew the metaphysical speculation of the absolute idealists while at the same time avoiding the scientistic reduction of positivism. (shrink)

Poorly understood, linked in complex ways to ideas about race and European identity, and the focus today of an ethically vexed and rapidly expanding testing industry, cystic fibrosis is a relatively common life-threatening genetic disorder in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union. Many genetic diseases are invisible to the general public, but CF is a high-profile genetic disease, often characterized as a “white” disease though it occurs in many populations. Over the last five years it has (...) become the focus of genetic screening programs of many kinds, but especially for newborns, all over the world. CF is also a scientifically interesting genetic disease. By the simple if imperfect .. (shrink)

This book explores the intellectual encounter of India and the West from pre-Alexandrian antiquity until the present. It examines India’s role in European philosophical thought, as well as the reception of European philosophy in Indian thought. Halbfass also considers the tension in India between a traditional and modern understanding of itself. Halbfass covers a wide variety of epochs and “cultures” in this study without oversimplification and without distracting shifts of tone. The volume’s methodological unity is reflected in Halbfass’ reliance on (...) the German hermeneutical tradition and his root characterization of the encounter between Indian and the West as dynamic. It is a contribution rooted in the interpretive tradition typified by the work of Heidegger, Gadamer, and Habermas. This edition is much more than a mere translation. Halbfass has not only translated, but has also revised, updated, and added much new material. (shrink)

Dilthey is a figure of real importance in European philosophy and social theory. He exerted a significant influence on Husserl, Heidegger and Weber (among others) through his work on the nature of philosophy and the methodology and epistemology of human and social studies. He was also a distinguished and original historian of ideas and, indeed, many of his philosophical interests arose from the insights and practical difficulties he encountered as a historian. He produced a monumental biography of Schleiermacher, and a (...) series of shorter, but no less striking studies of Hegel, Dickens, Shakespeare, Schiller and many others. (shrink)

This book examines, above all, the relationship between reason and Vedic revelation, and the philosophical responses to the idea of the Veda. It deals with such topics as dharma, karma and rebirth, the role of man in the universe, the motivation and justification of human actions, the relationship between ritual norms and universal ethics, and reflections on the goals and sources of human knowledge. Halbfass presents previously unknown materials concerning the history of sectarian movements, including the notorious "Thags" (thaka), and (...) relations between Indian and Iranian thought. The approach is partly philosophical and partly historical and philological; to a certain extent, it is also comparative. The author explores indigenous Indian reflections on the sources, the structure and the meaning of the Hindu tradition, and traditional philosophical responses to social and historical realities. He does not deal with social and historical realities per se; rather, basing his work on the premise that to understand these realities the reflections and constructions of traditional Indian theorists are no less significant than the observations and paradigms of modern Western historians and social scientists, he explores the self-understanding of such leading thinkers as Sankara, Kumarila, Bhartrhari and Udayana. (shrink)

Subject matter knowledge influences instructional decision-making, particularly for novice teachers. Moreover, teacher candidates’ abilities to create critical pedagogy is influenced by their subject matter knowledge and their opportunity to interact with critical curriculum. Using a researcher-designed task intended to develop teacher candidates’ subject matter knowledge, this qualitative action research study investigated the degree to which the task supported candidates’ critical consciousness and their selection and framing of content for an instructional unit. The findings illustrate inconsistencies in candidates’ abilities to use (...) new subject matter knowledge in ways that conceptualize social studies curriculum in critical ways. These inconsistencies suggest that teacher educators should consider using a critical rationale-based pedagogy as a means to assist teacher candidates to move towards critical pedagogy in ways that subject matter knowledge alone cannot. (shrink)

Im Zentrum des vielschichtigen, allen Aspekten der Geistesgeschichte zugewandten Diltheyschen Denkens stehen die konsequente Besinnung auf die Geschichtlichkeit des Menschen und der Aufweis der erkenntnistheoretischen Eigenständigkeit der Geisteswissenschaften. Diese Abhandlung von 1907 gibt eine konzentrierte Einführung in die Grundzüge geisteswissenaftlich orientierten Philosophierens und begründet die Bedeutung der geistesgeschichtlichen Erschließung der philosophischen Tradition.

"Ich habe dem ausserordentlichen Manne, dessen Andenken diese Schrift gilt, nach seinem letzten Willen einen Grabstein gesetzt, auf dem Nichts zu lesen ist als sein Name. Das Ubrige sollte die Nachwelt schon wissen. Auch vertreten seine Werke den Biographen besser als die anderer beruhmten Gelehrten. Nur als Schriftsteller betrat er die offentliche Laufbahn; angstlich vermied er, seitdem sein Geist zum vollen Bewusstsein erwacht war, jede Beruhrung mit dem Tun der Menschen, und sein eignes sollte nicht in Betracht kommen gegen den (...) bleibenden Gehalt seines Daseins; sein Denken; aber uber alle Gebiete des Lebens erstreckt sich dieses und verrat vielfach den personlichen Anteil des Autors. Deshalb wollte er nicht, dass die ausseren Zuge seines Lebens zu seinem Gedachtnisse ins Einzelne hinein verfolgt wurden, und doch bedarf die kurze Grabschrift in den Augen seiner Zeit eines Kommentars, den er selbst uber sich nicht schreiben konnte." [...] Das vorliegende Werk von Wilhelm Gwinner ist ein Blick auf das Leben Schopenhauers, seinen Charakter und seine Lehre aus dem personlichem Umgang dargestellt. Der Verlag der Wissenschaften verlegt historische Literatur bekannter und unbekannter wissenschaftlicher Autoren. Dem interessierten Leser werden so teilweise langst nicht mehr verlegte Werke wieder zugangig gemacht. Das vorliegende Buch ist ein unveranderter Nachdruck der historischen Originalausgabe aus dem Jahr 1862.". (shrink)

Tillich develops a non-intentional understanding of faith in his essay “The Courage to Be”. Just as the “ontological fear” belongs to the human being so also the act of faith which Tillich reinterprets with the concept of courage. Believing does not mean believing in God, but being able to live from the power of unconditional trust. This article makes it clear that for Tillich faith, understood as unconditional trust, is just as much a part of being human as the “ontological (...) fear” that alone the act of faith can cope with. Finally, the significance of this understanding of faith for preaching and pastoral care which Tillich presented in his “Religious Speeches” and with which he gave important impulses to the church’s praxis is shown conclusively. (shrink)

Wertpräsentation ist Teilbegriff der Werttheorie, die sich in kritischer Absicht mit begründeter und begründender Sicht von Wert(vollem), und Bewerten befaßt. Die Auffassung von,Wert' oszilliert zwischen Wert als (idealem) für sich bestehendem Bereich und dem (psychologischen) Erfassen von etwas, dem Wert zugesprochen wird. Alexius Meinong schlägt als Vermittlung vor, (a) daß die Untersuchung hier selbstredend von der Tatsache des Werthaltens auszugehen hat, daß Wert aber nicht nur im faktischen Werthalten, sondern vielmehr im „Werthgehalten werden-können" besteht; (b) daß etwas (zunächst) da sein (...) muß, das Wert für sich hat und von dem jemand Wert aussagt, m. a. W. ein intentionales Treff-Verhältnis besteht zwischen Präsentiertem (Gegenstand, Wert am Gegenstand) und Präsentation (Erfassen des Gegenstands mit seinem ihm zugeschriebenen Wert). - Diese intentionale Verschränkung von Wert und Werthalten gibt Anlaß zu weiteren Fragen. (shrink)

Wertpräsentation ist Teilbegriff der Werttheorie, die sich in kritischer Absicht mit begründeter und begründender Sicht von Wert(vollem), und Bewerten befaßt. Die Auffassung von,Wert' oszilliert zwischen Wert als (idealem) für sich bestehendem Bereich und dem (psychologischen) Erfassen von etwas, dem Wert zugesprochen wird. Alexius Meinong schlägt als Vermittlung vor, (a) daß die Untersuchung hier selbstredend von der Tatsache des Werthaltens auszugehen hat, daß Wert aber nicht nur im faktischen Werthalten, sondern vielmehr im „Werthgehalten werden-können" besteht; (b) daß etwas (zunächst) da sein (...) muß, das Wert für sich hat und von dem jemand Wert aussagt, m. a. W. ein intentionales Treff-Verhältnis besteht zwischen Präsentiertem (Gegenstand, Wert am Gegenstand) und Präsentation (Erfassen des Gegenstands mit seinem ihm zugeschriebenen Wert). - Diese intentionale Verschränkung von Wert und Werthalten gibt Anlaß zu weiteren Fragen. (shrink)