Philosophy, Theory, and Foundations in Education

Since the publication of Hannah Arendt’s essay, “The Crisis in Education” (1954/1968), many scholars have responded to the ideas set forth in her work. Most of these scholars debate, analyze, and expand upon a foundational element of Arendt’s notion that educators are responsible for the child and the world. Arendt argued that which is revolutionary in the child should be conserved through education, and the educator must present to the child “the world as it is” (p. 189) in order for constant renewal of the world to take place. The child must understand the world in its present state so that they are equipped with the knowledge to act as agents of change. Scholars who analyze and critique Arendt’s ideas have tended to focus on foundational elements of her argument: natality, world-alienation, and thinking. Missing from the discussions of Arendt’s work, and in these subsequent scholarly considerations, is the underlying role of
emotion in the educator’s responsibility to cultivate that which is revolutionary in the child. I discuss natality, world-alienation, and thinking and how they each relate to emotion. The cultivation of emotional intelligence is necessary for political existence. As educators, understanding our emotions and being able to recognize the emotions of others are essential to becoming agents of renewal.