From curiosity to wonder in religious education

IF 1.1 0 RELIGION
Paul Corcoran
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

This study argues that religious education is uniquely positioned to resist and transcend contemporary dialectics of wonder that serve to diminish, commodify, or instrumentalize the place of wonder in society today. Wonder is traditionally characterized by a sense of importance that accompanies our encounters with mystery. In a world less comfortable with interiority and less willing to accept the sense of ignorance true wonder presupposes, the contemplative element of wonder has largely evaporated, to be replaced by a more fleeting (Schinkel in Stud Philos Educ 39(5):479–492, 2019, 481) and less challenging ‘curiosity’. Curiosity favours mastery over mystery; it elides the puzzlement or contemplation inherent in traditional understandings of wonder. In pedagogical settings, curiosity is increasingly advanced at a catalyst that motivates and directs the inquiry of the learner. However, educational literature continues to note a worrying absence of any kind of wonder in classrooms today (Jirout et al. in Front Psychol 13:875161, 2022. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.875161). This study will suggest that the advancement of wonder as curiosity in education only reinforces the very sense of apathy it is designed to counteract in its students. If wonder is recast as curiosity—a ‘skill’ that leads reliably to the ‘right answer’—students will inevitably find quicker, more efficient means to arrive at the required information. Religious education is uniquely equipped to supplement inquisitive curiosity with a more contemplative wonder that eschews easy answers. In doing so, it would equip students to grapple with what modern society has become so adept at evading: the “stubborn there-ness” (Arendt in Medina J, Wood D (eds) Truth: engagements across philosophical traditions. Blackwell Publishing, London, 2005, p. 310) of mystery that characterizes the most meaningful questions of our existence.

宗教教育从好奇到惊奇
本研究认为,宗教教育具有独特的地位,可以抵制和超越当代关于 "惊奇 "的辩证法,因为这种辩证法会削弱、商品化或工具化 "惊奇 "在当今社会中的地位。惊奇的传统特点是伴随着我们与神秘的相遇而产生的一种重要感。在一个不太适应内在性、不太愿意接受真正的惊奇所预设的无知感的世界里,惊奇的沉思元素在很大程度上已经消失,取而代之的是一种更短暂(Schinkel in Stud Philos Educ 39(5):479-492, 2019, 481)、更少挑战性的 "好奇心"。好奇心 "更倾向于掌握而非神秘;它摒弃了对 "惊奇 "的传统理解中所固有的困惑或沉思。在教学环境中,好奇心越来越多地被视为一种催化剂,激励和引导学习者进行探究。然而,教育文献不断指出,当今课堂上缺乏任何形式的惊奇,令人担忧(Jirout 等人,载于 Front Psychol 13:875161, 2022. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.875161)。本研究将指出,在教育中把 "惊奇 "提升为 "好奇心",只会强化教育所要抵制的学生的冷漠感。如果将惊奇重塑为好奇心--一种能够可靠地找到 "正确答案 "的 "技能",学生们将不可避免地找到更快、更有效的方法来获取所需的信息。宗教教育具有得天独厚的条件,能够以一种更加沉思的好奇心来补充探究性的好奇心,从而避开简单的答案。这样,它就能使学生有能力应对现代社会善于回避的问题:"顽固的存在"(阿伦特,见 Medina J、Wood D(编)《真理:跨越哲学传统的接触》。布莱克威尔出版社,伦敦,2005 年,第 310 页)的神秘性,它是我们生存中最有意义的问题的特征。
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来源期刊
自引率
50.00%
发文量
28
期刊介绍: Journal of Religious Education is a refereed publication for the academic exploration of the task of religious education in modern society. The journal helps disseminate original writings and research in religious education and catechesis - particularly as it relates to the faith formation of children and young people. Articles for publication on religious education in various contexts and on related areas, as well as book reviews are welcome.
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