Experiencing Change, Encountering the Unknown: An Education in ‘Negative Capability’ in Light of Buddhism and Levinas
Journal of Philosophy of Education May 1, 2015 Sharon Todd 64 citations
An education committed to 'negative capability' and comfort with uncertainty can be informed by combining ideas from Levinas and Theravada Buddhism. The article first explores Buddhist concepts of impermanence, suffering, and non-self (anicca, dukkha, and anatta) and vipassana meditation's emphasis on openness to transient experience and self. It then connects these with Levinas's ethics of alterity. Together, they provide conditions for developing an ethical sensibility attuned to encounters with the world. The article reflects on how this sensibility can re-inform educational practices, which inherently involve change and uncertainty.