Deepening and sharing philosophical wisdom to realize a society grounded in mutual recognition of freedom.
01
Mutual Recognition of Freedom
The fundamental principle of modern democratic society: first recognizing one another as equally free beings. This is the basic rule of modern society.
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Rather than naively insisting that we ourselves are “free,” we must first mutually recognize that the other is a free being, a being who desires freedom. On that basis, we must adjust the ways in which we exercise our freedom in relation to one another. There is no other way to end the horrific taking of lives and to gain freedom. […] Mutual recognition of freedom is the fundamental social principle that enables human beings to coexist and each person to become as fully free as possible.
Translated excerpt from Ittoku Tomano, How Is Freedom Possible? A Philosophy for Designing Society (NHK Publishing).
02
Essential Insight
A phenomenological method of thought and dialogue for articulating and weaving the essence of things into words, through dialogue.
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Essential insight is a method of thinking that brings together the accumulated wisdom of 2,500 years of philosophy. It is, literally, a way to grasp the essence of things.
For example, what is happiness? What is freedom? What are justice, love, friendship, hope, a good society, and good education?
Essential insight seeks ideas about such questions that make anyone say, “I see—that really captures the essence,” and weaves those ideas into words.
When several people undertake this inquiry together, it becomes philosophical dialogue through essential insight.
Translated excerpt from Ittoku Tomano, Shotaro Iwauchi, and Midori Inagaki, A Textbook of Essential Insight: Dialogue That Creates Shared Understanding (Shueisha Shinsho).
Related books
A Textbook of Essential Insight03
The Metatheory System of Pedagogy
A system of metatheories spanning the philosophical, empirical, and practical divisions of pedagogy, constructed to establish pedagogy as an advanced integrative and applied discipline.
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Taken as a whole, pedagogy must begin with philosophical inquiry into what education is and under what conditions it can be called “good.” On that foundation, it must investigate empirically and practically how such education is possible. From this perspective, pedagogy comprises three divisions: philosophical, empirical, and practical.
The task of this book is therefore as follows. First, to strengthen the philosophical division—philosophy of education—so that it can clarify the essence of education. Second, to strengthen the empirical division, supported by this philosophy, so that it has sufficient scientific validity and value. Finally, to strengthen the practical division so that it can construct and develop useful theories and concrete methods for diverse educational settings.
04
Integrating Individualized, Collaborative, and Project-Based Learning
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Individualizing learning means adapting each child’s learning pace, suitable ways of learning, and decisions about when, with whom, where, and what to do, in the way that best suits that child. […]
However, individualization can, if handled poorly, become isolation. It must therefore be integrated with collaboration. We need environments where children can progress in their learning within a flexible form of cooperation, asking others for help and offering help when needed. […]
Project-based learning proposes placing projects or inquiry at the heart of the curriculum. Instead of learning only ready-made questions and answers, learners formulate their own questions, pursue them in their own ways, and arrive at their own answers.
Translated excerpt from Ittoku Tomano, Rebuilding School (Kawade Shinsho).
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