Le sens corporel à l’égard d’une question socialement vive, une source d’apprentissage

Abstract

In the didactic treatment of Socially Acute Questions (SAQ), emotion is considered ambivalent, both a source of motivation and a possible hindrance to learning. We propose to change the affective dimension of perspective and to question the felt sense (Gendlin, 1962) as a source of learning. We question how, treated through two contemplative approaches, focusing and transitional image, it is likely to nourish critical, creative and attentive thinking (Lipman, 2003). These approaches are proposed to undergraduate students and applied to two ethical dilemmas associated with humusation and breeding. Explanatory interviews conducted with 8 students reveal that the processing of bodily meaning is likely to lead to a reconfiguration of the issues at stake in the dilemma, to the overcoming of the initial contradictions and to the expression of a feeling of connection to oneself, to humans and to nature. It can also give rise to strong emotions that are detrimental to the commitment to the SAQ. We examine how they are implemented in schools.

Keywords

• socially acute question
• felt sense
• ethical dilemma
• contemplative approach
• excellent thinking
• controversies