Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
acceptedVersion
Publication Date
3-2021
Abstract
Humanist ideas in education have been promoted by both Western thinkers and classical wisdom texts of Asia. Exploring this connection, I examine the educational philosophy of an iconic ancient Tamil (Indian) text, the Thiruvalluvar Kural, by juxtaposing it with a contemporary humanist classic, Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed. As this comparative study reveals, both texts offer humanist visions of relevance to education, politics, and society. Notably, however, the Kural takes what might be described as a more mainstream humanist stance vis-à-vis Freire’s radical humanist approach. Nevertheless, both educational philosophies share a common humanist bond representing important breakthroughs within their own given contexts. More specifically, the Kural supports a shift in consciousness and social practices away from caste rigidity, superstition, and pre-humanist beliefs while Freire championed transitioning from rigid, top-down and alienating educational delivery models and economic systems to learning processes and societies that are more democratized, dialogic and egalitarian.
Keywords
Education, humanism, India, Thiruvalluvar Kural, Paolo Freire
Discipline
Philosophy | South and Southeast Asian Languages and Societies
Research Areas
Humanities
Publication
Studies in Philosophy and Education
Volume
40
Issue
2
First Page
183
Last Page
200
ISSN
0039-3746
Identifier
10.1007/s11217-020-09750-9
Publisher
Springer
Citation
JOSHI, Devin K..(2021). Humanist but not radical: The educational philosophy of Thiruvalluvar Kural. Studies in Philosophy and Education, 40(2), 183-200.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/3928
Copyright Owner and License
Authors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11217-020-09750-9