Athens and Jerusalem (in Education)

In this episode we discuss a youtube video of Richard Dawkins and Jordan Peterson. Dawkins is a British evolutionary biologist known for being an atheist. Peterson is a Canadian psychologist known for his psycological perspective on religious belief. Our starting point is the similarities and differences between Dawkins' concept of meme and Peterson's concept of archetype.

The link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wBtFNj_o5k


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.