Philosophical and Anthropological Foundations of the German Peace Pedagogy: Transformations of Key Concepts and Approache

Abstract

Peace pedagogy or peace education appeared after World War II primarily for bringing up German children and youth in line with a new ideology. Since the 1980s, peace education has been oriented mainly at developing countries with permanent armed conflicts often involving children as active participants (soldiers). This article focuses on the basic concepts (peace, aggression, man, etc.), which have been framed in German peace education theory since the 1950s. It is revealed there were the following philosophical and anthropological concepts of peace pedagogy in West Germany at the initial stage of its development: eccentric positionality of man as a living being (Helmuth Plessner); aggression as an innate instinct and its complex relationship with bonding and cooperation among humans (Konrad Lorenz); and man as a biologically deficient being (Arnold Gehlen). In East Germany, education theories were based on the Marxist interpretation of the human essence. After the unification of Germany, peace education theory underwent some significant transformations, which marks the second stage in its development. Man is understood as a living being that, although being connected with nature, is shaped by culture to a greater extent. In this regard, what comes to the fore is the part of Plessner’s theory that deals with the shared world (Mitwelt) and human spiritual activities. The concept of the Other has also become meaningful. Recognizing the anthropological laws of eccentric positionality, natural artificiality, and mediated immediacy, the researchers also emphasize the need to take into account the influence of culture, which determines man’s uniqueness.

Keywords

• man
• conflict
• philosophical anthropology
• peace education
• german peace pedagogy
• aggression
• helmuth plessner’s philosophy