Teaching freedom -- a science of tantric pedagogy

Abstract

Includes bibliographical references (p. 68-71)

What would be the outcome if a student was taught to utilize schooling as a vehicle to his or her liberation? What if teachers assisted in the natural unfolding of students' preexistent possibilities? What would happen if the intention of education was designed to better a student for the student's sake rather than to better a student for society's sake? What if education concentrated on students' expression of creativity rather than students' test scores? In other words, what ideas can be borrowed from the Tantras and the Upanishads to help contemporary education and overall global change? In Tantra, liberation is twofold: it is recognizing oneself in order to recognize a relation in the inherent interdependent nature of the universe. In this thesis, I employ a definition of liberation based on tantric and upanishadic texts in order to build a contemporary philosophy of education. After explaining what it means to be free, I show how tantric freedom's application into a contemporary theory of education may contribute to solving the problems of traditional Amero-eurocentric pedagogy. To help with this, I outline the educational objectives and outcomes of a pedagogy based on tantric freedom and explain each in detail. Then I imagine a debate between Aristotle and Rudolf Steiner. Aristotle's philosophy of education demonstrates the ailments of the traditional Amero-eurocentric pedagogy, whereas Rudolf Steiner showcases a 20th century opposition to the Aristotelian tradition, which remains the only well-known attempt to design an education system inspired by tantric-like freedom. In order to decide the effectiveness of a pedagogy based on tantric freedom -- in an Amero-european setting -- I propose arguments against tantric pedagogy and formulate rebuttals. This further defends the need to deconstruct the intention behind contemporary education and in the end argues for the application of a tantric intention.