And not only
in the University, but also in every corner of our educational system and in
every mechanic of our contemporary and current society. These 7 horsemen of the
Teaching Apocalypse are a tumor in Western democracies. And I'll tell you why.
Many years
ago, when I was young, I was concerned about the teaching of literature.
Consequently, I was also concerned about the education of those studying
literature and literary criticism. When these facts ceased to be a problem,
they ceased to worry me as well. Because a problem ceases to be one when it has
no solution. And the teaching of literature today is not a problem because
literature is no longer taught anywhere. It is not a problem, therefore, for
many teachers who prefer culture and ideology, nor for most students who have
no preferences (often no scientific interest in literature), but simply
sensations. For this simple reason, it is sometimes preferable to speak,
instead of emotional intelligence, of 'sensational intelligence.'
However, a
person who — like almost everyone in our time — is unaware of what happens
within contemporary postmodern universities, has asked me what the main enemies
of teaching literature in today's University are. The question is totally
anachronistic. In another era, it would make sense. Nowadays, it is
incomprehensible because, as I just pointed out, literature is a subject that
is currently not taught anywhere. And nowhere is it less talked about than in
Universities. The high school I attended had more literature content than most
current degrees taught at any University.
Nevertheless,
going back in time a few years, this was my response regarding the 7 Horsemen
of the Teaching Apocalypse in the postmodern University.
In my view, it
is necessary to acknowledge at least the following adverse facts.
1) Rousseauian pedagogy, currently in force in postmodernity, compared to Platonic and Socratic education. The pedagogue has replaced the professor. The pedagogue is the one who teaches what they do not know. Once this postmodern pedagogy was implemented in primary and secondary education, it resulted in apathetic students arriving at University without formation, intellectual resources, and ...
