Fragment: From 'Educatio Mortis' to 'Educatio Vitae'
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| Title: | Fragment: From 'Educatio Mortis' to 'Educatio Vitae' |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Maria Mendel (ORCID |
| Source: | Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education. 2026 54(1):7-20. |
| Availability: | Taylor & Francis. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 14 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Opinion Papers |
| Descriptors: | Educational Philosophy, Reflection, Educational Theories, World Views, Holistic Approach, Human Relations, Humanism |
| DOI: | 10.1080/1359866X.2025.2597778 |
| ISSN: | 1359-866X 1469-2945 |
| Abstract: | This paper reflects on the fragment, which, in my interpretation, invites a shift from thinking in terms of totality (the eternal, the unitary, etc. -- an approach that stems from Plato's "meditatio mortis") towards thinking in ways more sensitive to complex, incomplete and ephemeral being which can be related to meditatio vitae I see this shift as opening the way to re-thinking education in terms congruent with the pressing urge for reconceptualising education in ways responsive to the climatic catastrophe and, therefore, to the need for learning how to co-inhabit the world with other, not-only-human forms and ways of living. "The principle of the fragment" proposed here speaks to a relational ontology accepting human beings as fragmentary, fleeting figures of incomplete completeness, truly ephemeral beings. Both the concept and the principle of fragment express movement, change within the process of life as constant becoming. Encouraging educational reflection that is curious about the fragment and treats human being and human subjectivity relationally within the symbiotic community of life, this text is meant as provocation to reconceptualise educational theory so that it can move beyond its traditionally anthropocentric perspective. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1495969 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | This paper reflects on the fragment, which, in my interpretation, invites a shift from thinking in terms of totality (the eternal, the unitary, etc. -- an approach that stems from Plato's "meditatio mortis") towards thinking in ways more sensitive to complex, incomplete and ephemeral being which can be related to meditatio vitae I see this shift as opening the way to re-thinking education in terms congruent with the pressing urge for reconceptualising education in ways responsive to the climatic catastrophe and, therefore, to the need for learning how to co-inhabit the world with other, not-only-human forms and ways of living. "The principle of the fragment" proposed here speaks to a relational ontology accepting human beings as fragmentary, fleeting figures of incomplete completeness, truly ephemeral beings. Both the concept and the principle of fragment express movement, change within the process of life as constant becoming. Encouraging educational reflection that is curious about the fragment and treats human being and human subjectivity relationally within the symbiotic community of life, this text is meant as provocation to reconceptualise educational theory so that it can move beyond its traditionally anthropocentric perspective. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1359-866X 1469-2945 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/1359866X.2025.2597778 |
