Topography of Education = Topography of Education

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Educational discourses of our age are dominated by the universal standard and globalization. 500 hundred years ago, schools around the world were quite diverse. They were shaped by local tradition and climate. The landscape has changed drastically since the development of modern educational system in Europe and its proliferation around the world. Just like modern buildings, modern schools today tend to be more or less the same around the world. How should we understand this process? And how should we position ourselves to it? This short paper is just a prolegomenon of such an inquiry. The first part of the paper is historical and longer. It is devoted to clarify the origin and essential feature of modern education. Modern education was fueled by philanthropy and desire to enlighten the world. At the same time, it retained strong obsession with method, which was globally applicable as technology. The second part is philosophical and short. It asserts the necessity of the critique of modern education and hints at the way for this. If this critique can be sustained, the theme of topography of education will become more relevant.