Truth and Transformation: The Test of Truth in the Development of New or Revised Ideas, and Related Values and Beliefs

Abstract

Our current cultural climate is marked by a convergence of pressing issues, including the rise of the post-truth situation, which has recently been described as an epistemic crisis (Hoggan-Kloubert & Hoggan, 2023). This conceptual paper outlines why adult education institutions must reclaim the pursuit of truth as undergirded by rationality, autonomy, and pluralism as a core educational aim and presents a particular pedagogical conceptualisation for doing so. It is proposed that transformative approaches are uniquely positioned to address some of the issues associated with the post-truth situation; however, to be both applicable and accountable within participatory democracies, such efforts also need to be philosophically coherent, practically ethical, and incorporate opportunities for students to critically evaluate ideas, and related values and beliefs against the test of truth. To this end, a reconceptualisation of the axiological, ontological, and epistemological foundations for transformative learning is presented.