BENEDICT XVI’S RESPONSE TO THE EDUCATIONAL EMERGENCY: RELATIVISM, BILDUNG, AND EDUCATION FOR FLOURISHING
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v12i7.6070Keywords:
educational emergency, relativism, Benedict XVI, Bildung, human flourishing, character education, holistic educationAbstract
This article presents a comprehensive analysis of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Joseph Ratzinger’s, response to the contemporary “educational emergency” and situates his views in dialogue with two frameworks in educational thought: the German Bildung tradition of self-cultivation and recent approaches to education for human flourishing. Ratzinger diagnoses a crisis in education rooted in moral relativism and a loss of truth, leading to a failure to transmit values and meaning to the younger generation (Benedict XVI 2008). He critiques a “false concept of autonomy” that rejects authoritative guidance, and the exclusion of the objective sources of truth – nature and divine Revelation – from the educational sphere (Benedict XVI, 2010). This paper critically examines Ratzinger’s ideas alongside the concept of Bildung, with its emphasis on self-development, autonomy, and cultural formation, and the flourishing or well-being paradigm, with its focus on virtue, human potential, and well-rounded growth. This analysis finds significant overlaps – such as the importance of meaning, virtue, and community in education – while also highlighting areas where Ratzinger’s theological perspective offers a critique of secular assumptions. I conclude with implications for contemporary teaching and curriculum design, recommending a synthesis of insights that can enrich values-based, holistic educational reform. By bridging theological and philosophical perspectives, this article aims to contribute to ongoing conversations about how education can cultivate not only skills and knowledge but also moral character, purpose, and hope in students’ lives.
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