Athens and Jerusalem (in Education)

In this episode we elaborate on some of the ground questions of being a human being. What are we and were are we coming from and what if we are not coming from anything, would that mean that we have always existed and will always exist. Such cosmological questions often unfolds when death becomes part of life. Life understood as a small universe starting with a bang when conceived and ending with another big bang called death.

Creators and Guests

Host
Knut Ove Æsøy
Knut Ove Æsøy grew up in Florø, a small town with about 10,000 inhabitants in the far west of Norway. The town provided closeness to nature and especially the sea, and much of his upbringing was about fishing and farming in addition to school and sports. He began working in industry at an early age before choosing an academic career. He has a doctorate in philosophy of science and currently works at OsloMet and the education of Norway's future teachers.

What is Athens and Jerusalem (in Education)?

In this podcast we explore the relationship between a scientifically rational and a spiritual approach to reality. That is the relationship of Athens and Jerusalem. Our currently prevalent Western worldview is supposed to be based on rationality. If production of weapons of mass destruction, degradation of the natural environment, and increasing deterioration of mental well-being are signs of rationality, the term is to be considered a dangerous one. In all these, one can detect lack of ethical and existential considerations which renders this worldview essentially an irrational one.
On the other hand, various forms of religious dogmatism and fundamentalism lack true spirituality, as they fail to create both a personal experience of serenity and upliftment and a social practice of empathy, solidarity, and equality.
Essentially, both scientific and religious dogmatism seem to fail due to their disregard for a true and holistic view of human nature. Neither traditional Athens nor historical Jerusalem, alone, have been able to help our deepest human potential flourish, which we consider the task of our modern school system.