Pandemic Education as an ‘Education-against-Thoughtlessness’: Creating Collective Responsibility against Self-Interest
Beaujorne Sirad A. RamirezABSTRACT. This paper proposes a pandemic education recognising the problem of thoughtlessness, according to Hannah Arendt. This thoughtlessness occurs if one is too absorbed with his or her self-interest than the collective responsibility. This paper expounds on the role of the school as the intersection of self-interest and collective responsibility. The connection of these two is the primary aim of the school. In this juncture, the role of rationality is important to balance both institutes. This paper argues that this rationality is an ‘education-against-thoughtlessness’ using the problem of thoughtlessness found in Hannah Arendt’s Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil. With this, an application of the concepts is used to understand the nature of instruction as ‘education-against-thoughtlessness.’ In relation, one should combat against excessive self-interest that can go against collective responsibility. To achieve that, recommendations in prioritising the collective responsibility over self-interest should be underscored. pp. 76–80
Keywords: school; self-interest; collective responsibility; thinking; thoughtlessness
doi:10.22381/KC83202011