We begin with a reminder of the warning given at the end of my previous article from the Polish anticommunist dissident Czeslaw Milosz;
“It was only toward the middle of the twentieth century that the inhabitants of many European countries came, in general unpleasantly, to the realization that their fate could be influenced directly by intricate and abstruse books of philosophy. Their bread, their work, their private lives began to depend on this or that decision in disputes on principles to which, until then, they had never paid any attention. Only a few individuals understood the causes, and probably consequences, of this general indifference.”
Pedagogy & The Philosopher’s Pen™️ is an exploratory study (which I’d like to develop in to a book). It is not a study of Philosophy, or philosophers per say, but rather, an exploration of the impact of various Philosophical Principles upon Education Pedagogy, specifically as it has related to the widespread embrace of Progressivism & Woke Activism in general. In particular, I’ll be considering some of the less obvious methods of breaking down our resistance to intellectual grooming and Thought Reform which have perhaps even been experienced as pleasurable, blinding us to recognition of their influence in our cognitive dissonance in the face of deception and coercion.
One of the ‘few individuals’ who did understand ‘the causes and probable consequences’ of the public’s ‘general indifference’ regarding ‘paying attention’ to ‘philosophical principles’ was Dorothy L Sayers in her 1947 Paper; ‘The Lost Tools Of Learning’, which is why my subheading has now changed from ‘Mere Credulity’ to an appeal echoing popular agony aunt columns in magazines, newspapers, and periodicals from a bygone era of practical wisdom and common sense. Working through my primary source material (my own cognitive dissonance and ignorance) I needed many times to ask of Sayers (just one of my guides);
“Dear Dorothy ~ why is it that I don’t understand …..x, y, z….and what is lacking in my own development to have caused this?”
Answers came which took me on an investigation spanning centuries and encompassing differing metaphysics, cast in language that was wholly unfamiliar to me. I’m grateful to various minds more experienced than mine who’ve recommended many excellent source materials in fields including (but not limited to):
History of Education
History of Philosophy
Logic
Theology
Political Warfare
Psychology of Temptation
The scope of learning across these fields (and others) has been vast and is ongoing, but has already helped me personally to dispel many Education myths I had absorbed and crucially regarding their philosophical and metaphysical foundations; to finally break free from the logical fallacies I reacted negatively to in my gut, yet never knew how to articulately, logically refute. Finally my own self determination directs my capacity to assent, or refute ~ I’m no longer under a spell of coercion ~ as I comprehend with greater confidence, how to use The Lost Tools Of Learning.
Nobody should be reaching my age and only just attaining this cognitive liberty, it should and needs to be the foundational premise and telos of Education from the ground up, honoured by every adult employed/contracted to teach/tutor/coach/direct/assist and generally educate a nation’s children. As current levels of subversion & political indoctrination in our captured institutions & professional accreditation bodies/associations shows us ~ this is a matter of National Security ~ which sadly is not hyperbole.
“The war in the world is a war of ideas” (Anna Maria Fedeli; ‘The Great Struggle’)
In the hope that it may help others, I’ll share the evolution of my own learning, from ignorance trapped within accrued foundations of Relativism and Subjectivity, focusing on what released me from remaining trapped, helpless within that. I’m not sure yet how long this ‘Dear Dorothy’ series will take. It’s an opportunity for me to hone my thinking in working towards a book which I hope could be of use to current and future custodians of uncorrupted Education as we go through this time of turbulence nationally and internationally. If you consider this project to be of value, please do consider becoming a paid subscriber ~ financial support would greatly help me to undertake and complete this project in a much shorter timespan and I’m very keen to share this material with all who need it and will benefit from it as soon as possible.
I’ll let the words of Dorothy L Sayers herself round off this introduction. I hope this has whetted your appetite to follow my ‘correspondence’ with her over this coming series.