Providing orientation by philosophizing at school. Phenomenological and postmodern validity claims
Providing orientation by philosophizing at school. Phenomenological and postmodern validity claims

Summary/Abstract: In liberal societies it seems to be important to provide orientation by philosophizing at school.We are used to doing this by discussing classic ethics with our students. Here, skills like rationalargumentation can be trained. It is the universal rationality that can be applied to differentethical issues and, thus, provide orientation. When it comes to this learning objective phenomenologyand postmodernism are mostly not expected to provide assistance. Phenomenologymight be seen as just dealing with perception whereas postmodernism is under suspicion forcontributing to indecision, arbitrariness and relativism. In this article I will try to outline thepotentials of phenomenology and postmodernism in the field of orientation. In the traditionof Husserl’s ‘epoché’ we can let students discover the perspective of a first person and what itmeans to be a ‘self’. Heidegger and Merleau-Ponty have not only described a certain closenessto the world which can be described as ‘dwelling’ of a lived body. They have also delineatedelements of a new ‘postmetaphysical’ and at the same time ‘prehermeneutical’ metaphysics.All this can help to open the depth of self, life, and world. Postmodern thinkers claim a pluralityof truths. By this means, these theories can encourage self-empowerment. At the same time,authors like Lévinas (responsibility for the other), Lyotard (the sublime), and Rorty (solidarity)describe new ways of openness towards the world which are not founded by any primal truthand thus provide orientation.

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