Προς μια υπαρξιστική αγωγή: Αδιέξοδα και προοπτικές

Abstract

Existentialist education emerged around the 1950s, seeking to bring core concepts of existentialism —such as freedom of choice and the resulting responsibility— into the classroom. Being student-centered, it places primary importance on the psycho-emotional and moral dimension, the authenticity of the self, and its unhindered development in the face of an oppressive collective body and an alienating society. This article examines the core values and pedagogical aims of existentialist education, and evaluates its potential to promote its principles—particularly by fostering student autonomy. Applying a hermeneutic methodological approach, the analysis reveals that existentialist education risks becoming an incomplete discourse. Although it acknowledges the necessity of interdependence and the role of the Other, it remains unclear how individual autonomy can be genuinely realized. This holds true unless it is grounded in a socio-political call for collective autonomy, where students and teachers engage as equals in shaping educational life—mirroring a broader vision of direct democratic reconfiguration. Hence, existentialist education seems to overlook the following paradox: How can student autonomy be achieved in a heteronomous society—overcoming the constraints of socialization as heteronomy—when the teacher, positioned as an agent of critical thinking, is himself a product of institutionalized society that discourages a questioning spirit? The value that existentialist education places in short on the notion of self-determination, self-knowledge and freedom in general is indeed important, but not in substance influential for a broader transformation. Thus, more research is needed to address these inadequacies, enriching the potential of existentialist education to promote its principles more effectively.