The lecture will take place on Thursday 28th April at 6pm (London time) and will be entitled ‘Lifelong self-learning and modern education.’ It summarises the philosophy of education that motivates Keith Hart’s new book, Self in the World: Connecting Life’s Extremes. (An hour-long podcast there is interesting. There is a 25% reduction (£18) on the 314-page paperback with the code HART4227 until May 31st.)
We all make two life journeys, one into the world, the other into the self. The two are often at odds, along with other pairs whose poles seem to be unreachable one from the other: individual and society, local and global, personal and impersonal, life and ideas, real and virtual, fact and fiction. My intended readers are the general public and students before they are channeled into blinkered specialisms. At the same time, I hope to appeal to some professional academics in the humanities, social disciplines and anthropology who are open to the approach I develop there.
The book argues that formal education at all levels must change. In the last century the universities committed to bureaucratizing capitalism and knowledge is boxed up in narrow compartments as a result. Self-learning is discouraged and students are expected to get their education for life before they are full adults. They are trained to be passive workers and consumers. Most academics cling to the residue of the last intellectual revolution (modernism) and cannot envisage the next one which will be built on interdisciplinary human sciences of nature, society and personality combined. At present the natural scientists know nothing of human complexity and the rest have given up on understanding how the world works. I do not seek to replace formal education with self-learning, just at first to open up more space for their interaction. My message is: you are the most important agent of your own education and this is a lifelong process.
Keith Hart has posted 230 papers. He is professor of anthropology emeritus at Goldsmiths, University of London, now working full-time as a writer. He lives in Paris with his family and has a second home in Durban, South Africa. His professional work concerns the economy, especially money, informality and the digital revolution. Engaged intellectuals should focus on understanding the emergence of world society today. He has lived and worked in 24 countries and is currently writing a biography of Marcel Mauss (1872-1950), a French sociologist and teacher of ethnology whom he considers to be the founder of “human economy”, a term he has developed in the last two decades. Self in the World: Connecting Life’s Extremes was published in March 2022.
Keith Hart‘s lecture ‘Lifelong Self-learning and Modern Education’ inaugurates a series in an ongoing project, “Education and Anti-Institutions,” and will be moderated and in dialogue with Andris Brinkmanis and Steven Bachelor.
When: Apr 28, 2022 06:00 PM London
The session is open to everyone but registration is required.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Note: The “Education and Anti-Institutions” project will continue on May 25th at 06:00 PM London time.