Capitalism
remains a deeply exploitative and ecologically disastrous way of organizing
social life. The world today needs a major change: become more
human. Capitalism continues to operate under the same structural
compulsions, producing the same catastrophic consequences as before. It remains
ridden with crises and congenitally unable to subordinate its achievements to
the needs of human beings, unable, despite its prodigious productive abilities,
to offer even bare survival to vast majorities in the world it dominates.
Anthropocialism is the new solution: a combination between Anthropogogy
and Socialism. Anthropogogy: The study of human learning
(Greek)
– Anthrop (άνθρωπ) means people and Agy (άγω) means to conduct / lead.
Nir
Golan, an educational and leadership expert, suggests combining the educational
approach into one global term, Anthropogogy: to mean human learning. Teaching
should be carried out alongside the comprehensive development of the human
being regardless of his/her biological age or global location. The distinction
between a local learning and a national learning is not relevant because
the differences between people around the world are disappearing. Therefore,
all learners should be treated like a global learner. Despite its current
apotheosis, capitalism has resolved none of the problems which have for more
than a century and a half given sustenance to socialist aspirations and
struggles. The logic favoring a worldwide transition to socialism remains
as compelling today as it has ever been.
So
it is now with Anthropocialism. Pointing to the human tragedy that
capitalism's continued existence now portends for humankind, this is how
Chomsky has put it in his characteristically simple manner: "At this stage
of history, either one of two things is possible. Either the general
population will take control of its own destiny and will concern itself with
community interests, guided by values of solidarity, sympathy, and concern for
others, or, alternatively, there will be no destiny for anyone to control."
According
to Golan, Anthropogogy has four basic principles:
1.
The independent learner: the perception of oneself as an independent entity. A
person sees him/herself as someone who is self-directed; choosing what to learn,
how much and how to learn it. The role of the teacher is not to give ready
answers to predetermined questions, but to help the learner find out for
him/herself what the important questions are and how to answer them. Through
these questions, the dependence – independence conflict will decrease and there
will be fewer objections to learning.
2.
Adapting learning to that person's needs: the person is ready to learn when
he/she needs that specific learning process, and it is incorporated into daily
tasks and social functioning. He/she sees that the learning process serves
his/her personal development. Since every person has their own characteristics
and needs, therefore, the most effective way of learning is to adapt learning
to the needs and characteristics of that individual person with reference to
their emotional and mental components, and not only to cognitive and behavioral
aspects. When, with globalization, just about every state is following the same
destructive logic, domestic struggles against that common logic can be the
basis of a new internationalism. But looking for that internationalism
must not be an excuse for giving up on local national struggles. The main
arenas of struggle against global capitalism still remain local and national.
"Workers of all countries unite" remains the motto but this "unity"
obviously begins at home. There is a growing space for common
transnational struggles, but the established order has still to be primarily fought
on our own home pitch.
3.
Renovating learning: In the digital age where there is widespread availability
of network information, learning should give news and added value to the
learner. People approach learning in possession of their life experiences. For
learning to be more significant, the learner needs to connect the current
learning knowledge with his/her prior knowledge. As such, educators have to
find out the prior knowledge of the person and his/her previous experiences in
order to connect it to the learning experience and not teach him/her things
they already know. Thus the person who teaches should renovate learning.
4.
Immediate and practical learning: The main motive for human learning is for
problem solving. The learner has a need for the immediate application of the
learned material, so learning has to be more focused in giving solutions to the
particular problem. Learning which cannot be implemented immediately is
perceived as a waste of time.
The
world today needs a major change: become more human. Freedom in this field can
only consist in socialized man, the associated producers, rationally regulating
their interchange with nature, bringing it under their common control, instead
of being ruled by it as by a blind power; and achieving this with the least
expenditure of energy and under conditions most favorable to, and worthy of,
their human nature.
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