The “Whole” as a Philosophical Problem in the Context of (not only Environmental) Education

Abstract

The “Whole” as a Philosophical Problem in the Context of (not only Environmental) Education. – The “whole” is a term that in the context of scientific knowledge is perceived as a more or less concrete, affecting entity which can be constructed as a “sum of parts”. In the field of education, on the other hand, it cannot be understood like that – it is rather an unreachable horizon that points to a “holistic” meaning of the universe, including human life. The concept of the educational “whole” (from which the foundations of pedagogical discourse have been derived and which is still implicitly embedded in its methodology) cannot be based on various scientific theories that make an attempt to be “holistic”. Its reflection must be embedded in philosophical considerations, otherwise it runs the risk of becoming a powerful ideological tool. Education (from the Latin educere) meaning leading and supporting life motion, growth and development, is based on holistic knowledge in the philosophical sense, it is in relationship with the world that needs continuous care. Education then has to lead not only to an understanding of the “whole” of human life, but also of the “whole” of the world that is inhabited by not only human creatures – thus environmental holism should be defined as an approach essential for having a stake in and engaging in this world.