In our last post we proposed that the normal, healthy emotional and intellectual development of adolescents would lead them to develop "Basic Human Empathy." We defined Basic Human Empathy as "The intellectual and emotional ability to feel the joy and pain of others who are not personally close to us." We also raised the questions of whether we as teachers could help in the development of Basic Human Empathy and how we could do so.
We will now try to explore what factors intervene to thwart the normal development of Basic Human Empathy. Two such factors are: (1) cultural conditioning, and (2) individual, personal conditioning.
(1) By "cultural conditioning" we mean the sum total of the conditioned learning provided by the culture or sub-culture in which we live, injected unconsciously into our minds through associative learning. Some sub-cultures glorify individualism and denigrate (at least in practice) normal human concern for others. In the USA, for instance, there is a profound theological / philosophical under-current among some religious groups which minimizes the value of empathy as it glorifies an emphasis on individualism. This under-current is sometimes mistakenly referred to as "the Protestant ethic." This is an unwarranted term, as most major Protestant denominations do not subscribe to it. More accurate terms are "the Puritan ethic," or "the Calvinist ethic."
As dogmatic practitioners of strict Calvinism, the Puritan settlers in what would become the United States of America believed that their God had already predestined all human beings to either eternal heaven or hell, and that the human experience on earth correlated to this divine judgment. The "saved" would enjoy riches and benefits on earth; the "condemned" would not -- they would experience want and despair.
While this "Puritan ethic" is not always consciously embraced in American culture, it has undoubtedly had a major impact on the ethos of American culture due to the importance of the Puritans in the American story. It is an under-current that pervades many sectors of secular culture (such as the business world) and is predominant in some religious subcultures.
The practical effect of the conscious or unconscious spread of this Puritan ethic is the logical conclusion that (having accepted the predestination premise,) if God has condemned the unworthy person to hell for his/her iniquity, why should I care about his/her well-being on earth? Thus, the poor are condemned for their poverty, the weak for their own powerlessness, and the sick for their sickness. The Puritan ethic blesses our indifference and our lack of caring. It undermines the normal development of Basic Human Empathy.
We must stress that many or most Protestant denominations -- among them Lutherans, Methodists, Anglicans and many others -- do not subscribe to this theology or its consequent social doctrine of non-empathy. Neither does the Catholic church, whose social doctrine is among the most empathetic of all, even if most Catholics are blissfully unaware of their own church's social teaching.
Due to its historical importance as a foundation stone of American culture, the Puritan ethic has created a powerful under-current of insensitivity in American society -- even among members of religious groups that do not support the Puritan theological premise or conclusions.
Other nations and cultures have their own historical and philosophical barriers that interfere with the development of Basic Human Empathy. We each need to explore our cultural and historical contexts in order to identify what variables are at play.
(2) Individual, personal conditioning often builds on cultural conditioning. Continuing the USA example, wave upon wave of immigrants struggle in the "land of opportunity" to reach the "American dream." Those who reach the dream of material welfare, unaware (and uninterested) in the real difficulties faced by others, often assume that if others haven't found the same level of material success it must be due to their lack of trying, some moral failing, or some other internal weakness.
The adults in American society who hold such views may intentionally or unintentionally condition their children to believe that if others suffer, it must be due to their own avoidable failings, or lack of hard work. Didn't they, recent immigrants, reach success through hard work? Therefore, why waste time, energy and money worrying about the downtrodden?
We can now explain how, in the richest large country in the world, we accept homelessness, poverty, lack of access to health care or legal care, etc. and do not appear to be particularly motivated to take political steps to bring about greater social justice.
Often, adolescents reach our schools carrying the huge burden of non-empathetic cultural and personal conditioning. This conditioning has been unconscious and not requested. They usually have not stopped to reflect on their own mental schemas about empathy, economic success, and how pain and suffering can come to those who do not deserve it. That is the beginning of our work as teachers.
In our next post, we will explore some specific avenues to help our students breakaway from any residual cultural or personal conditioning and recover their potential for development of Basic Human Empathy.
Showing posts with label social justice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label social justice. Show all posts
October 4, 2009
September 7, 2009
A BRITISH APPROACH TO GLOBAL EDUCATION
Let us today take a look at global education in secondary schools from the perspective of British global educators.
In the U.K., the secondary curriculum includes the cross-cultural component, "Global Dimension and Sustainable Development." This dimension is organized around eight key concepts which apply to all the subjects in the secondary curriculum.
GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP: The awareness that in today's world we are not only citizens of a nation, but also citizens of the world. This self-perception is at the core of today's global reality.
INTERDEPENDENCE: The awareness that human actions on one side of the planet impact other humans around the world. Whether we talk about food production, climate change or nuclear proliferation, we are all inter-connected and interdependent to a degree never before seen in the history of the planet. Unilateral, self-centered actions by short-sighted nation-states are not likely to advance the human prospects on the planet.
SOCIAL JUSTICE: As humans develop morally and ethically, we recognize that principles of social justice (such as those embraced by most major religious denominations) should define human behavior around the world. This is a key link between global education and religious beliefs. Too often, the members of religious denominations appear to ignore their own religious leaders' calls for justice and peace. Global educators should, within the scope of the curriculum, clearly identify such links and build on their implications.
HUMAN RIGHTS: The quest for human rights for all is a never-ending struggle. We now have in our possession the key document to advance such universal rights: the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This document has been endorsed by practically all the nations of the world. While we can bemoan the wholesale lack of compliance around the planet, global educators should use it as a core document signifying our present best judgment of the rights of each and all humans; it is an indispensable document, and one of the hallmark achievements of humankind.
CONFLICT RESOLUTION: While destructive armed conflict was never a good thing in human history, the nature of present conflict -- exacerbated by the explosion of warfare technology -- makes it imperative that we develop alternative, effective means to resolve conflict. Reliance on international agreements and a supra-national legal apparatus with global reach and effective enforcement powers should in time replace the "cow boy" mentality of individual nation states. Much progress has already been made on the visualization and the conceptual framework that would support such legal structures, but progress lags in the implementation of the obvious necessary steps, largely due to the hesitation of the powerful countries of the planet.
DIVERSITY: Humans have an unending capacity for prejudice. Possibly stemming from our evolutionary past, we tend to distrust, demean and fear others who are not exactly like us. This attitude might have helped some human groups survive and procreate in our evolutionary past, but is today a key barrier to understanding and cooperation. The sciences, particularly biology and psychology, should take a leading role in explaining the "oneness" of humankind. Our oneness as human beings is overwhelmingly superior to the very minor attributes that by nature or nurture make us different. A global educator must combat the human tendency to feel superior to others and build on the foundations of science to ensure that our students embrace diversity and eschew prejudice and discrimination of all types.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: Could there be any doubt about our descendant's amazement of our present passive acceptance of hunger, poverty, malnutrition, sickness, lack of education, and so many other socio-economic ills? Won't their reactions be similar to our own amazement at the evils that our ancestors accepted as normal? The statistics of under-development are so horrifying that we calmly face a daily silent holocaust. "Silent," because we do not want to think or talk about it -- but that should be the tell-tale indicator that our present situation is not acceptable under any ethical or moral code known to humankind. The complex problem of under-development must be understood and squarely faced by our students.
VALUES AND PERCEPTIONS: "We see what is behind our eyes," says an ancient Chinese proverb; we perceive what our mind tells us to perceive. The real world outside of our own minds must battle our expectations, preconceptions, schemas and conditioning before it can be accepted by our minds. The reality outside our minds must battle the desired reality within our minds before it can gain admission to our cognitive awareness. This is a battle often lost. Psychological foundations of perception, conditioning, cognition and critical thinking will help our students to understand the real world.
Our value systems create "macro-schemas" through which all perceived reality is "sifted." That which is not acceptable to our value system is rejected. Awareness of this peculiar human cognitive process should help our students come to terms with reality and human rationality (or lack thereof.)
Global educators should consider starting their courses with these considerations before moving on to other complex issues.
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Go to http://www.globaldimension.org.uk/ for much more of this valuable contribution from British global educators, including specific ways that you can introduce a global dimension into any subject that you teach. We would also like to invite educators from around the world to share other national perspectives and schemas of global education.
In the U.K., the secondary curriculum includes the cross-cultural component, "Global Dimension and Sustainable Development." This dimension is organized around eight key concepts which apply to all the subjects in the secondary curriculum.
GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP: The awareness that in today's world we are not only citizens of a nation, but also citizens of the world. This self-perception is at the core of today's global reality.
INTERDEPENDENCE: The awareness that human actions on one side of the planet impact other humans around the world. Whether we talk about food production, climate change or nuclear proliferation, we are all inter-connected and interdependent to a degree never before seen in the history of the planet. Unilateral, self-centered actions by short-sighted nation-states are not likely to advance the human prospects on the planet.
SOCIAL JUSTICE: As humans develop morally and ethically, we recognize that principles of social justice (such as those embraced by most major religious denominations) should define human behavior around the world. This is a key link between global education and religious beliefs. Too often, the members of religious denominations appear to ignore their own religious leaders' calls for justice and peace. Global educators should, within the scope of the curriculum, clearly identify such links and build on their implications.
HUMAN RIGHTS: The quest for human rights for all is a never-ending struggle. We now have in our possession the key document to advance such universal rights: the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This document has been endorsed by practically all the nations of the world. While we can bemoan the wholesale lack of compliance around the planet, global educators should use it as a core document signifying our present best judgment of the rights of each and all humans; it is an indispensable document, and one of the hallmark achievements of humankind.
CONFLICT RESOLUTION: While destructive armed conflict was never a good thing in human history, the nature of present conflict -- exacerbated by the explosion of warfare technology -- makes it imperative that we develop alternative, effective means to resolve conflict. Reliance on international agreements and a supra-national legal apparatus with global reach and effective enforcement powers should in time replace the "cow boy" mentality of individual nation states. Much progress has already been made on the visualization and the conceptual framework that would support such legal structures, but progress lags in the implementation of the obvious necessary steps, largely due to the hesitation of the powerful countries of the planet.
DIVERSITY: Humans have an unending capacity for prejudice. Possibly stemming from our evolutionary past, we tend to distrust, demean and fear others who are not exactly like us. This attitude might have helped some human groups survive and procreate in our evolutionary past, but is today a key barrier to understanding and cooperation. The sciences, particularly biology and psychology, should take a leading role in explaining the "oneness" of humankind. Our oneness as human beings is overwhelmingly superior to the very minor attributes that by nature or nurture make us different. A global educator must combat the human tendency to feel superior to others and build on the foundations of science to ensure that our students embrace diversity and eschew prejudice and discrimination of all types.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: Could there be any doubt about our descendant's amazement of our present passive acceptance of hunger, poverty, malnutrition, sickness, lack of education, and so many other socio-economic ills? Won't their reactions be similar to our own amazement at the evils that our ancestors accepted as normal? The statistics of under-development are so horrifying that we calmly face a daily silent holocaust. "Silent," because we do not want to think or talk about it -- but that should be the tell-tale indicator that our present situation is not acceptable under any ethical or moral code known to humankind. The complex problem of under-development must be understood and squarely faced by our students.
VALUES AND PERCEPTIONS: "We see what is behind our eyes," says an ancient Chinese proverb; we perceive what our mind tells us to perceive. The real world outside of our own minds must battle our expectations, preconceptions, schemas and conditioning before it can be accepted by our minds. The reality outside our minds must battle the desired reality within our minds before it can gain admission to our cognitive awareness. This is a battle often lost. Psychological foundations of perception, conditioning, cognition and critical thinking will help our students to understand the real world.
Our value systems create "macro-schemas" through which all perceived reality is "sifted." That which is not acceptable to our value system is rejected. Awareness of this peculiar human cognitive process should help our students come to terms with reality and human rationality (or lack thereof.)
Global educators should consider starting their courses with these considerations before moving on to other complex issues.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Go to http://www.globaldimension.org.uk/ for much more of this valuable contribution from British global educators, including specific ways that you can introduce a global dimension into any subject that you teach. We would also like to invite educators from around the world to share other national perspectives and schemas of global education.
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