MICHAEL POLANYI'S DARING EPISTEMOLOGY AND THE HUNGER FOR TELEOLOGY

Abstract. The linking of Michael Polanyi's name with a center (now changed to another name) at Baylor University that espoused intelligent‐design theory calls for examination of Polanyi's teleology. This examination attempts to put Polanyi's epistemology in the perspective of his total philosophical work by looking at the clarification of teleology in philosophy of biology and in the framework of three major features of Polanyi's thought: open and truth‐oriented, purposive but open to truth, and transcendent yet intelligible. The conclusion is that Polanyi would not support intelligent design according to the nature of his own theory.     

THE DISCOVERY OF MEANING THROUGH SCIENTIFIC AND RELIGIOUS FORMS OF INDWELLING

Abstract. Because of similarities between some implications of Michael Polanyi's theory of personal knowledge and intelligent design, claims have been made that his theory provides support to the project of intelligent design. This essay contends that, when Polanyi's reflections on a Ideological framework for contextualizing evolutionary biology are properly understood as a heuristic vision, his position contrasts sharply with the empirical claims made on behalf of intelligent design.     

A Spiritual Dimension to Sex Education?

This article engages in a preliminary exploration from a broadly philosophical perspective of the notion of a 'spiritual dimension' to sex education. An inescapable 'value' dimension to sex education is recognized, and the possibility that this might include a 'spiritual' dimension is pursued in the light of a consideration of the nature of the spiritual domain. A distinction is drawn between 'religiously tethered' and 'religiously untethered' conceptions of spirituality and four strands characteristic of the spiritual domain are outlined. Possibilities relating to a 'spiritual' dimension in sex education are identified in relation to each of the strands and their value and justification are discussed in relation to common school and separate religious schools, respectively.     

Black and white fire: the interplay of stories,imagination and children's spirituality

This paper explores the potential for using narrative to foster children's spiritual growth. It discusses the nature, origin and appeal of story and presents theoretical perspectives which form a rationale for using non‐sectarian children's, adolescent and young adult literature for spiritual development. Such books avoid church‐and‐state controversies while providing a fresh approach to educators where religious and spiritual education are mandated.     

Doubts on Spirituality: Interpreting Waldorf ritual

To investigate whether some kinds of kindergartens are better than others at bringing order, calm and stability to children's lives is, though not without its problems, fairly straightforward: the kinds of behaviour that count as evidence are relatively uncontroversial. Researchers can apply themselves, without too many qualms, to figuring out how kindergartens do it. Where spiritual development is concerned, because many kindergartens are already differentiated by religious or spiritual orientation - Jewish, Roman Catholic, Muslim, Waldorf, etc. - there is a temptation similarly to focus on how it is achieved. Relationships between the approaches and distinctive methodologies are prime areas for investigation. But such research might be premature. Any answer to the question 'To what extent have children been spiritually changed?' needs some agreement on the kinds of things we take as evidence of spiritual change. There are few signs of such agreement. This presents researchers, and also teachers, with a problem in proving their claims. In this article we try to substantiate this doubt by reflecting on some of our own research on Waldorf education. It too focused on 'how' and identified 'ritual' as a crucial factor in the Waldorf approach but we gradually realized that the epistemological issue was prior and had to be addressed.     

Resolving the Confusion in the Spiritual Development Debate

This paper argues that there is a need to make a distinction between 'spiritual development' (educational in intent, relevant for all) and 'developing spirituality' (catechetical in intent and therefore inappropriate for some). Making this distinction resolves much of the confusion in the spiritual development debate that results from (i) problems concerning definition; (ii) co-terminous usage of related but distinct concepts; and (iii) a plurality of competing models of spiritual development. This confusion is illustrated with reference to a variety of authors, particularly Hay, Erricker, Wright, Bradford, Mott-Thornton, Carr and Thatcher. Further, distinguishing between 'spiritual development' and 'developing spirituality' will bring clearer thinking to discussions about spiritual education and will overcome some of the weaknesses in the work of specified authors.     

APPROACHING ACCOUNTABILITY IN PSYCHOTHERAPY

Abstract

Comprehensive construing refers to a process whereby events that have previously been construed in a variety of ways come to be subsumed within a superordinate construct. Occurring within a broadened perceptual field and incorporating existing specialized knowledge, comprehensive constructs may lead to an integrated understanding within a higher-order revised framework. Parallel processes can be seen in scientific discovery from the standpoint of Polanyi's conception of “personal knowledge,” in cognitive stage transitions outlined by Pioget's genetic epistemology, in Buckminster Fuller's “comprehensivism,” and in comprehensive approaches to education and science.     

Reporting the Spiritual in Primary Schools

This paper is concerned with the Office for Standards in Education's (OFSTED's) reporting of the way in which primary schools promote pupils' spiritual development. A sample of reports on primary schools, written in 1999, was scrutinized for evidence of links between inspectors' judgements on each school's provision for pupils' spiritual development and their judgements on its provision for religious education, collective worship and the subjects of the National Curriculum. The analysis raises serious questions about the adherence of inspection teams to OFSTED's (1995) 'Guidance on the Inspection of Nursery and Primary Schools', the internal consistency of individual reports, and ultimately about the reliability of the evidence-base used by HMCI for his Annual Report. This paper is part of a doctoral study, being developed at King's College, London, into the conflict between the government's aims for primary education, as expressed through the curricular requirements of the 1988 Education Reform Act, and the way in which the implementation of those requirements is monitored.     

'Dancing cannot start too soon': Spiritual education in the thought of Jean Paul Friedrich Richter

Johann Paul Friedrich Richter (1763-1825) adopted the pen-name 'Jean Paul' in honour of Jean Jaques Rousseau. His Levana or the doctrine of education (Levana oder Erziehlehre) was once a standard text and required reading in teacher education. Outside Germany the name of Jean Paul is now little known and the seminal educational text for which he was famous is rarely read. This neglect of Jean Paul is undeserved. What Jean Paul owed to Rousseau is apparent, but his work is rich in insight of his own. Three principles undergird Jean Paul's understanding of spiritual education (geistige Erziehung). Jean Paul insisted that spiritual education is essentially counter-cultural, that it is promoted by play and that it is grounded in love. Such education can never be at home in a curriculum which, however lofty are its stated objectives, is ultimately politically controlled. Jean Paul's insistence that play is constitutive of education needs to be heeded in an educational culture in which the playful is always at risk of displacement by what the government of the day deems to be of greater consequence. The heart of Jean Paul's understanding of education can be expressed succinctly, 'We love to teach and we teach to love'.     

MICHAEL POLANYI ON ART AND RELIGION: SOME CRITICAL REFLECTIONS ON MEANING

This paper is a critique of the theory of meaning in art and religion that Michael Polanyi developed in his last work entitled Meaning. After giving a brief summary of Polanyi's theory of art, I raise two serious difficulties, not with the theory itself, but with the claims Polanyi makes about the relation of meaning in art to science and religion. Regarding the first difficulty, I argue that Polanyi betrays an earlier insight when in Meaning he attempts to dissociate meaning in art from meaning in science; instead I argue that both science and art are aesthetic enterprises. Regarding the second, I argue that Polanyi's account of religion is an aesthetic reduction, that meaning in religion, at least in the Western tradition, is not so much an aesthetic as it is an existential matter.     

Leo Tolstoy the spiritual educator

This paper considers the often overlooked religious and educational works of the Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910). After outlining Tolstoy's life, religious and educational views, it is argued that Tolstoy has much to offer spiritual educators today. In particular, it suggests Tolstoy's insistence on the absolute and eternal nature of spiritual and moral truths, coupled with a free and heuristic pedagogy, are key ingredients of an authentic spiritual education.     

Spirituality versus Individualism: Why we should nurture relational consciousness

This paper proposes an approach to spiritual education which transcends the religious-secular boundary by conceiving of spirituality as a natural human predisposition labelled 'relational consciousness'. Evidence drawn from recent research demonstrates that this predisposition is universally identifiable in young children and expresses itself in many forms apart from the religious. Nevertheless it is this which allows the possibility of religious belief. As a result of the cultural construction of an extreme individualism which is particularly evident in the Western world, there has been a 'forgetting' of relational consciousness/spirituality resulting in damaging effects to the texture of human community. Some major sources of individualism are identified as having particularly serious effects on relational consciousness. These are reflected upon in the light of empirical research on children as well as contemporary philosophical and political critiques. Spiritual education is seen as a major means of resistance to the damaging effects of possessive individualism.     

Spiritual Consumption in the United States: The Rumi phenomenon

This article deals with the impact of Jalal al-Din al-Rumi's work on the American public. It tackles how his work is taken nowadays out of the Muslim Sufi tradition into an elusive spiritual movement which the author terms the 'New Sufism'. The article studies the differences and similarities between the scholarly approach to the work of Rumi and the 'New Sufism' approach and focuses on four main aspects of this transition. The first treats the idea of human love in its relation to the divine love in both approaches. The second studies the concept of a dancing universe in both views. The third treats the theme of illusion versus reality in the two perspectives. The fourth analyses the differences between Muslim scholars and the 'New Sufism' with regard to the concept of emptiness. In the conclusion the article stresses how the work of Rumi is currently 'used' by the 'New Sufism' to treat depression and sell products, and how Americans in general have a tendency to 'play' with the religious traditions of the world .     

Religious and spiritual education in disability situations in Italy

In this short article, the authors focus on religious and spiritual education’s potential to offer social and spiritual inclusion for students with a disability. They take the view that the religious and spiritual education teacher in such situations is positioned better when seeing such teaching as a special vocation. They use Italy as the case study by which to explore a religious and spiritual education approach to teaching in disability situations.     

Rationality and the tu quoque argument

The tu quoque argument is the argument that since in the end rationalism rests on an irrational choice of and commitment to rationality, rationalism is as irrational as any other commitment. Popper's and Polanyi's philosophies of science both accept the argument, and have on that account many similarities; yet Popper manages to remain a rationalist whereas Polanyi decided for an irrationalist version of rationalism. This is more marked in works of their respective followers, W. W. Bartley III and Thomas S. Kuhn. Bartley declares the rationalist's very openness to criticism open to criticism, in the hope of rendering Popper's critical rationalism quite comprehensive. Kuhn makes rationality depend on the existence of an accepted model for scientific research (paradigm), thus rendering Polanyi's view of the authority of scientific leadership a sine qua non for scientific progress. The question raised here is, in what sense is a rationalist committed to his rationality, or an irrationalist to his specific axiom ? The tradition views only the life‐long commitment as real. Viewing rationality as experimental open‐mindedness, we may consider a rationalist unable to retreat into any life‐long commitment — even commitment to science. In this way the logic of the tu quoque argument is made irrelevant: anyone able to face the choice between rationality and commitment is already beyond such a choice; it is one thing to be still naïve and another — and paradoxical — thing to return to one's naïveté.     

‘Learning From’ the Concept and Concepts of a Religious Tradition: Jainism in the RE curriculum

Against a background of recent developments in religious education in England, this article argues for the inclusion of Jainism in the RE curriculum. Questions of the representation of religion in general and Jainism in particular are examined. It is claimed that when it comes to the ‘personal development’ side of religious education ('learning from'), pupils may best be served by drawing on a wider range of traditions than is customary in English RE, and that pupils need to engage with the ideas in a religious tradition as well as gain an authentic picture of the lives of practitioners. It is argued that much of personal and spiritual value can be gained from even an imperfect construction of a religious tradition, and this is illustrated from some of the teachings of Jainism and the author's experience of approaching a less familiar tradition.     

In defence of the concept of ‘spiritual education’: a reply to Roger Marples

In a paper published in Volume 11, no. 2, of this journal, Roger Marples argued that the term ‘spiritual education’ is at most superfluous and at worst entirely meaningless. He suggested that the use of the term is unhelpful and will continue to be so unless and until we can identify some body of spiritual knowledge and understanding, linked to experience, which is distinct from, and in some sense ‘beyond’, those of moral, aesthetic and other forms of experience.

This paper critique's Marples's thesis. It examines his ploy of admitting only certain forms of knowledge and understanding, and of privileging certain languages, when determining the rules of engagement with the concept of ‘the spiritual’. It is further argued that to require some empirical evidence in the form of personal experience before the words ‘spiritual’ and ‘spiritual education’ can be meaningful is fundamentally misguided. In conclusion, it is suggested that a willingness to embrace the spiritual as concept, experience and awareness is essential to the education of the child as a whole person.     

Drama,Spirituality and the Curriculum

The field of drama and moral education has been given some theoretical attention in recent years but little if any theorising has been applied to the area of drama and spiritual education. In UK schools, however, the spiritual education of children is seen as one of a school's core functions and a spiritual dimension has often been important in the global history of drama and acting. Various and conflicting definitions of spirituality and approaches to spiritual education exist. In this article, I begin with an attempt to make connections between these approaches and recent epistemologies of drama education. I then outline a possible theoretical framework for defining spirituality, influenced largely by anthropological and cultural studies, and exemplify it by drawing upon examples from existing practices in the fields of theatre and educational drama. I then conclude by speculating as to how these ideas might find practical expression within a drama curriculum.     

Religious issues in diagnosis: The V-Code and beyond

This paper addresses the issues around considering clients' religious and spiritual functioning as a matter of client diversity. Such issues may be under appreciated by many clinicians. The introduction of a religious and spiritual problem V-Code (V62.89) into the DSM-IV provided a significant accommodation of client religious and spiritual functioning in contemporary psychodiagnostics. The V-Code allows for explicit identification of a non-pathological religious or spiritual focus in treatment. The nature of and history of the V-Code's inclusion in DSM-IV is briefly reviewed. The strengths and limitations of the V-Code for raising clinician awareness of the religious and spiritual domain of client functioning is discussed and illustrated by a number of case examples. The V-Code approach is contrasted with Hathaway's (2003) clinically significant religious impairment concept. Both are viewed as making complementary contributions to a religiously and spiritually sensitive clinical practice.