HOLISTIC EDUCATION FOR WORLD PEACE

8/14/2019 HOLISTIC EDUCATION FOR WORLD PEACE

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HOLISTIC EDUCATION FOR WORLD PEACE

Future Schools and the Practice of Freedom:

Education for Human Development or 'Holistic Education'

HOLISTIC EDUCATION : A NEW PARADIGM FOR TEACHING

A rational approach to our human problems depends on the intelligentimplementation of a universal education for human development or 'holisticeducation'. Holistic education (or 'peace education') aims for the development ofthe individual as a complete and therefore rational and moral (or 'spiritual')human being.

"There is only one problem, and it is human development in its totality; oncethis is achieved in any unit - child or nation - everything else followsspontaneously and harmoniously." (Dr. Maria Montessori. To Educate the Human

Potential. Adyar, Madras, India: Kalakshetra Publications, 1961. p.13)

Failed education is ultimately due to the basic mistrust of the 'humanpersonality' or 'human nature'.

Human nature is a peaceful nature which depends on development of humanpotential Continuous hindrance to human development results in frustration andviolence. Therefore it is only logical that education for human development or'holistic education' is the same as education for peace or 'peace education'. Aspeace education, holistic education is the necessary prerequisite for a cultureof peace and the basis for true democracy. True democracy depends on democratic

thinking and democratic education... 'democratic' in the largest sense, that is,based on the affirmation of human dignity.

Today there is urgent need for positive social change and this depends onthe right kind of education... instead of the traditional authoritarian educationfor control of the individual we need a humane education for development of theindividual as a complete and rational or 'moral' human being i.e. 'holisticeducation'. Holistic education aims for the development of moral consciousness or'conscience' of 'morality' required for effective human socialisation or 'peace'.As peace education, holistic education depends on conditions of freedom in anenvironment which allows for development of moral intelligence or 'creativeintelligence'. This depends on the practice of freedom to discover one's humanpotential as the source of self-control or 'self-empowerment' i.e. moral freedom,

inner freedom or 'true freedom'. True freedom or 'responsible freedom' is afunction of the proper development of the moral or 'spiritual' dimension of thehuman personality or 'human nature'. The human organism is a social organism andhuman nature is a social nature. Human instincts for socialisation depend fortheir development on education which allows for spiritual development or'spiritual emergence'.

"In the most general terms, spiritual emergence can be defined as the movement ofan individual to a more expanded way of being that involves enhanced emotional andpsychosomatic health, greater freedom of personal choices, and a sense of deeperconnection with other people, nature and the cosmos. An important part of this


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development is an increasing awareness of the spiritual dimension in one's lifeand in the universal scheme of things. Spiritual development is an innateevolutionary capacity of all human beings. It is a movement towards wholeness or'holotropic state', the discovery of one's true potential." (Stanislav Grof)

The paradigm of traditional education as 'schooling' is based on a basicmistrust of human nature - a mistrust which perpetuates suffering, oppression anddestruction because it leads to the fallacious notion that the interests of the

individual and those of society are mutually exclusive. This dichotomous view ofthe social reality inevitably results in unresolvable pseudo-problems which cannotbe dealt with effectively unless they are approached from the more accurateperception of human nature as a social nature with natural instincts forsociability the 'social instincts'. Consequently the needs of the individual andof the society are mutually dependent and interrelated. So what are theimplications for education? The development of civilised societies depends on thecomplete development or 'civilisation' of the individual. Individual humandevelopment depends on education which provides the right conditions for thefacilitation of learning which engages the person as a whole and their instinctivemotivation for growth through learning or 'intrinsic motivation'. Intrinsicmotivation engages development of the spiritual dimension of human nature... afunction of consciousness of the higher self or 'Self' as the source of personal

power or 'self-empowerment' required for the ability to adapt to changing socialconditions i.e 'adaptability'. Consciousness of the Self is equivalent toconsciousness of moral values for living... moral consciousness or 'conscience'.Development of conscience depends on education which provides the optimalconditions for complete human development... development of the individual andtheir potentialities... physical, psychological, emotional, intellectual and moralor 'spiritual' development. i.e. 'holistic education'. Holistic educationinvolves the planning of learning environments which respect human dignity as itis naturally manifest in meaningful creativity and productiveness or 'work'.

For children growing up in the complex world of the 'global village' effectiveeducational practice is based on an appropriate philosophical framework or'paradigm' for educational theory which involves the understanding of learning as

a natural process of functioning of the human brain. Insights into thephysiological mechanisms underlying the natural learning process i.e. 'biology oflearning' provide evidence for the validity of education for personal developmentor 'holistic education'. Holistic education is based on respect for theinstinctive motives for learning or 'human needs' which define the humanpersonality or 'human nature'. "Holistic education is more concerned with drawingforth the latent capacities and sensitivities of the soul than with stuffingpassive young minds full of predigested information. It is an education thatprepares young people to live purposefully, creatively, and morally in a complexworld." (Ron Miller ed. The Renewal of Meaning in Education: Responses to theCultural and Ecological Crisis of our Times) (What is holistic education?seeIntroduction to Holistic Education www.infed.org/biblio/holisticeducation.htm)

The key to human development and schools for humanity is recognition of thepsychological value of meaningful work which is crucial to development of moralconsciousness or 'morality' of 'conscience'... a concern of 'moral science'. Themorality of conscience is the source of guiding values or 'human values' requiredfor accurate evaluation of changing environmental conditions, effective decision-making and behaviour which is adaptive because it is creative i.e. creativeintelligence. The cultivation of creative intelligence depends on the freedom toengage in active experiential learning motivated by natural curiosity of inquiry.Such learning is meaningful because it engages the individuals instinctiveresponsibility for their own growth and development. Meaningful learning for humandevelopment depends on freedom in education as the practice of theory which is


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informed and effective because it is based on natural law and guided by rationalconscience. Freedom in education is responsible freedom because it aims to providethe right conditions required to free the human spirit in order to developconscience as rational conscience or 'free conscience'... freedom to think,freedom to learn, freedom to engage in personal growth and development of one'shuman potential for creativity and productiveness or work. Freedom in educationis freedom from dogma, freeedom from ignorance, freedom from from conflict...'inner freedom', 'spiritual freedom', 'moral freedom' or 'true freedom'. True

freedom is obedience to rational conscience... a function of human development as'moral development'. Freedom in education engages children's integrateddevelopment in harmony with their instinctive sense of responsibility for theirown spiritual growth and development i.e. 'human nature'. Natural principles ofhuman nature are foundational to education of the person as a whole or 'holisticeducation'. Holistic education is the practice of freedom for creativity andproductivity or 'work'. Freedom to work is the basis for self-empowerment andself-determination which is foundational to understanding, to socialresponsibility for peace, cooperation and real democracy.

Holistic education is natural education based on principles of humandevelopment. The human organism is a social organism which depends on thedevelopment of human potential for effective adaptation to changing environmental

conditions (physical and social). Human 'adaptability' depends on completedevelopment as a function of the integrated functioning of the human brain as asocial brain specialised for understanding of the significance of experience i.e.'experiential learning' or 'natural learning'. Natural learning is active learningof 'creative intelligence' and results in meaningful 'knowing' or 'knowledge' as'real knowledge' or 'truth'. As a truth finding process natural learning engagesthe individual as an integrated whole incorporating the spiritual dimension andrepresenting the human personality or 'human nature'. Human nature is a socialnature and the human organism is a social being which can be characterised interms of human motives for learning or 'human needs'. Human needs include thebasic psychological needs for security and self-esteem ('ego needs') and the so-called 'higher' needs for psychological growth beyond the 'ego' level ofconsciousness or 'self-transcendance'. These are the spiritual needs or

'metaneeds'. Motivation by the metaneeds or 'metamotivation' engages growththrough learning and development of human potential for 'self-actualisation'.Self-actualisation depends on education which provides conditions for self-empowerment or 'freedom' as 'freedom of thought' or 'inner freedom'... freedom forgrowth through learning, freedom from fear and conflict, freedom from dogma,freedom for personal development, freedom for a life which is guided by universalhuman values or 'virtues'... source of virtues is moral consciousness or'conscience'.

The formulation of logical and reasonable educational theory is based on thefact that children are natural learners who can participate in the planning oflearning environments which will foster their natural growth into mature andresponsible adults living by universal human values. The function of education is

to provide the conditions to free the human spirit in order to cultivate theintuition of natural human intelligence i.e. 'creative intelligence' . Educationaltheory based on natural law is rational theory which can be implemented asinformed and effective practice guided by the 'morality' of developedconscience... moral practice or 'educational praxis'. Rational discourse ofeducational praxis depends on meaning of freedom as the awakening of true humanintelligence or 'inner freedom'. Inner freedom based on natural biologicalprinciples is 'responsible freedom'. (The practice of theory which is not based onnatural principles results in perception of false dichotomies and unresolvable'pseudoproblems'). The aim of education, in the fullest and deepest sense of theword, is the integrated development of the person as a whole... variously known as


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'free education', 'libertarian education', 'libratory education', 'progressiveeducation', 'new education', 'open education', 'cosmic education', 'child-centerededucation', 'person-centered education', 'problem-centered education', 'humanisticeducation', 'integral education', 'integrative education', 'confluent education','peace education', 'transformative education', 'democratic education' and'holistic education'. Holistic education is for development of rationalconscience which is required for the mastery of life and respect for the lives ofothers... 'education for life'. All children have the right to educational

experiences through which they can recognise the psychological value of theirlearning experiences... in building self-confidence, self-respect, creativeintelligence and moral courage... a philosophy consistent with the UniversalDeclaration of Human Rights (article 26 paragraph 2) "Education shall be directedto the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening ofrespect for human rights and human freedoms".

Holistic education is highly motivating because it is based on thestimulation of natural curiosity.

"...It is in fact nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods ofinstruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiostiy of inquiry; forthis delicate little plant, aside from stimulation, stands mainly in need of

freedom; without this it goes to rack and ruin without fail." (Einstein)

The 'paradigm' of holistic education has larger scope than the traditionalparadigm based on the assumption that the learner is a passive recipient who needsto be motivated by external factors provided by the 'teacher as instructor'. Infact, effective learning is a function of active engagement in a process ofadapting to the environment. Human adaptability is a function of the capacity tocreate meaning from experience or 'learn'. Natural 'experiential learning' is afunction of the brains capacity for perception of connections between systems ofwholes and the parts which make them up i.e. 'holistic perception'. Holisticperception actively engages the person as a whole in their instinctive strivingfor mature growth or 'self-actualisation'. Self-actualisation depends on naturaleducation which engages the individual's sense of responsibility for their own

growth i.e. 'intrinsic motivation'. Intrinsically motivated learning depends onthe provision of conditions which integrate learning with life and allow fordevelopment of human potential and human empowerment as self-determination or'freedom'. "Real freedom is a consequence of development; it is the consequence oflatent guides, aided by education. It is the construction of the personality,reached by effort and one's own experiences; it is the long road which every childmust take to reach maturity". (Dr. Maria Montessori)

Holistic education is 'humanistic' because it is true to the social nature ofthe human personality or 'human nature'. Human nature can be defined in terms ofthe evolutionary significance of freedom of thought or 'creative intelligence' andmoral consciousness as moral reasoning of 'morality' or 'social intelligence'.Social intelligence is characterised by the 'social values' required for survival

of the human species as a social species i.e. moral values or universal spiritualvalues - moral justice, compassionate wisdom, universal love, knowledge,understanding and social responsibility or 'peace' i.e. 'human values'. Humanvalues are experienced as the moral freedom of 'self-transcendance' i.e. 'truefreedom'. True freedom is freedom of self-empowerment or 'responsible freedom'.Responsible freedom is fundamental to the integration of learning with life. "Theorganization of human communities and the establishment of freedom and peace arenot only intellectual achievements but spiritual and moral achievements as well,demanding a cherishing of the wholeness of the human personality." (Ivan Ilich)

In the paradigm of holistic education the role of the teacher is defined in


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terms of the 'facilitation of learning'. The teacher's function is to understandthe psychological value of creativity and productiveness or 'work'... tofacilitate the construction of conscience through development of human potential.The teacher is a 'facilitator of learning'. The facilitative teacher designslearning environments which are compatible with respect for the instinctivemotives for human learning behaviour i.e. 'human needs'. Human needs include the'lower' psychological needs for self-esteem- the 'ego needs' - and the 'higher'psychological needs for spiritual growth - the 'spiritual needs' or 'metaneeds'.

Motivation by the metaneeds is 'metamotivation'. Metamotivation engages personaldevelopment in terms of all the interrelated aspects of the complete humanpersonality - physical, emotional, intellectual, psychological, social, political,creative, artistic, philosophical and spiritual i.e. 'holistic growth'. "Thehighest function of education is to bring about an integrated individual who iscapable of dealing with life as a whole." (Jiddu Krishnamurti; Education and theSignificance of Life)

Holistic education is education with conscience... education for responsiblefreedom or 'self-empowerment' as the pre-condition for creative and effectiveadaptation to changes in the social environment i. e. 'adaptability'. Humanadaptability depends on 'true freedom'... the freedom to interact with theenvironment... to inquire, to discover, to think... to make personal meaning of

experience or 'learn', the freedom to understand the realities of nature and humannature while attaining the highest levels of awareness or 'self-knowledge', thefreedom to engage in meaningful creativity and productiveness or 'work'.Meaningful work is a function of curiosity, cognition and the wisdom of'compassion'... engages development of 'moral consciousness' or 'conscience' - thehuman 'soul'. Holistic education aims to cultivate intelligence not onlymechanical intelligence of conditioned learning but also 'intuitive intelligence'or intuition... creative intelligence which allows for social cooperation and thecreation of humane societies. "The only means to a world of peace andunderstanding is through the proper education of children into emotionally andintellectually mature and thinking adults, respectful and tolerant of othercultures." (Norman Goble. The Function of Teaching UNESCO Paris 1977)

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HOLISTIC EDUCATION FOR WORLD PEACE