Benjamin Zenk Dr. Tanke Rancire Seminar 25 September 2013 The Upper Limits o !mancipator" Teachin# T$!

S%S& % teachin# is to be emancipator"' it can be no more than a heteronomo(s presence to the st()ent*s inte++i#ence' an) no more than a s(bj(#ation o the st()ent*s ,i++. %n a))ition to this' emancipator" e)(cation seems to re-(ire a somethin# +ike post(+ate o e)(cationa+ reason . name+"' that there are t,o )istinct ac(+ties at p+a" in an e)(cationa+ act& ,i++s an) inte++i#ences. % tra)itiona+ e)(cationa+ mo)e+s are to be contraste) ,ith pro#ressi/e ones' the spectr(m their e0tremes estab+ish ran#es rom the re#(+ati/e i)ea+ o comp+ete st()ent a(tonom"' in the case o the most pro#ressi/e pro#ressi/es' to the re#(+ati/e i)ea+ o comp+ete teacher heteronom"' in the case o the most tra)itiona+ tra)itiona+ists. 1either e0treme is met ,ith in e0perience' since ,ith respect to the ac-(isition o kno,+e)#e' comp+ete st()ent a(tonom" is a m"th an) +ike,ise ,ith teacher heteronom". There are no co#niti/e Robinson 2r(soes an) teachers cannot simp+" empt" kno,+e)#e into the hea)s o their st()ents. %n these respects' st()ents nee) somethin# or someone to +earn rom an) teachers nee) re+ati/e+" a(tonomo(s s(bjects to e)(cate. 3ithin the e0tremes' there is an a))itiona+ iss(e ,ith the +o#ic o the a(tonomo(s4heteronomo(s )ichotom" that re/ea+s a (rther comp+e0it". !/er" moment a teacher ass(mes that her e0p+anations are necessar"' the st()ent*s a(tonom" is st(+ti ie). %n both cases' some ine-(a+it" o capacities is posite). 5or Rancire' this ass(mption o ine-(a+it" is (n,arrante)' since it initiates the o++o,in# re#ress in the e)(cationa+ act& if a teachers words are needed to mediate the distance between the student and the subject taught, then there should be something to mediate, again, between the teachers teaching and the student, a) in init(m. The conc+(sion ,e are to )ra, is that the e0p+anations o teachers' in the presence o some s(bject matter 6e.#.' a book7' are (nnecessar". The ass(mption that the" are necessar" poisons the ,e++. 8s 2orne++ $amm has p(t it' tho(#h& 9the ro(te to a(tonom" is heteronom".: % ,e are ri#ht at a++ in ass(min# that some semb+ance st()ent a(tonom" can be initiate) thro(#h e)(cationa+ action' there m(st be a orm o heteronom" that )oes not st(+ti "' in the ,a" Rancire has i)enti ie)' b(t instea) emancipates. To reso+/e the iss(e ,e can make a conject(re' +et*s ca++ it a post(+ate o e)(cationa+

reason& there are t,o a(tonomies an) t,o heteronomies. There is the a(tonom" o the st()ent*s ,i++' on the one han)' an) the teacher*s inte++i#ence' on the other. There is a+so the heteronom" o the teacher*s ,i++ an) the heteronom" o the teacher*s inte++i#ence. !mancipator" e)(cationa+ action ,i++ present some orm o heteronom" as a means o re/ea+in# a st()ent*s a(tonom". Rancire*s strate#"' /ia ;acotot' is to s(bj(#ate the ,i++ o the st()ent to the ,i++ o the teacher' makin# the re/e+ation o a )i erent kin) o a(tonom" . a(tonom" o inte++i#ence . an e/ent(a+ necessit". The s(bj(#ation o the st()ent*s ,i++ is not itse+ necessar". 1onethe+ess' the s(##estion seems to be that it is a s( icient con)ition or emancipation to occ(r. !mancipation' ,e mi#ht sa"' j(st is a rea+i<ation o one*s re+ati/e inte++ect(a+ a(tonom". S(bj(#atin# a st()ent*s ,i++ to a teacher*s ma" be s( icient to #rant that rea+i<ation. %t ,i++ a+so re/ea+ that it is a +ack o ,i++' not a +ack o inte++i#ence' that keeps st()ents rom +earnin# or themse+/es. %n his amo(s essa"' 98n 8ns,er to the =(estion& 3hat is !n+i#htenment: >ant )e ines 9immat(rit": . +itera++"' the +ack o a /oice . as a se+ 4in +icte) 9inabi+it" to make (se o one*s (n)erstan)in# ,itho(t another*s #(i)ance.: The motto o the !n+i#htenment perio)' or him' is sapere aude . 9Dare to be ,ise.: To be emancipate)' in this conte0t' is to 9$a/e the co(ra#e to make (se o "o(r own (n)erstan)in#.: This conception o emancipation is hope (+ b(t ins( icient. %t )oes not ackno,+e)#e the e0tent to ,hich heteronom" is bo(n) (p ,ith a(tonom". $eteronom" an) a(tonom" are not contra)ictor" b(t contrar". The" are a+,a"s mi0e) (p ,ith each other' an) ne/er tota++" in)epen)ent. 8 minima+ presence o heteronom" in an"' e/en emancipate) act o +earnin#' is necessar". % ,e posit' tho(#h' a )istinction o ,i++ an) inte++i#ence an) the a(tonom" o each' ,e can retain >ant*s hope or emancipation. ?ne nee) on+" temper it ,ith the ackno,+e)#ement o a necessar" heteronom". %n $einrich /on >+eist*s e)(cationa+ phi+osoph"' the s(bt+er notion o a minim(m o heteronom" o inte++i#ence is #i/en e0pression. >+eist ar#(es that the presence o another person 6e/en the tho(#ht o the presence o another person7 is o ten s( icient to pro/oke or e0cite someone*s min) to e0press itse+ . The ,i++ is ass(me) to be there' in >+eist*s pict(re' rom the st()ent si)e. The inte++i#ence' too' is there' b(t it o ten nee)s pro/ocation. >+eist*s c+aim is that the presence o someone*s ace' e/en' is o ten s( icient to e0cite the min) to c+ear e0pression' re/ea+in# a creati/it" that ,as other,ise (npercei/e)& There is a stran#e so(rce o inspiration or a speaker in a h(man ace be ore him' an) a +ook si#ni "in# @thatA a tho(#ht ,e ha/e b(t ha+ e0presse) has a+rea)" been (n)erstoo) o ten #rants (s the means to e0press the rest o it 6127. Despite the inspiration it can #rant' ,e kno, rom Rancire that this

heteronom" o inte++i#ence can #o too ar. >+eist e0presses this in man" ,a"s' the o++o,in# bein# the most concise& ...it is so )i ic(+t to p+a" on a h(man min) an) brin# o(t its o,n partic(+ar pitch an) so eas" or a,k,ar) han)s to make it rin# a+se' that e/en the most ski++e) obser/er o men . as >ant )escribes it' a tr(e master in the mi),i er" o tho(#hts . co(+) sti++ reach a+se conc+(sions thro(#h +ack o ac-(aintance ,ith his st()ent o si0 ,eeks. 61B7 %n other ,or)s' $einrich /on >+eist makes a re/ision to >ant*s i)ea+ that speaks to its con (sion. >+eist a)mits that e)(cation cannot be a mere+" heteronomo(s task' since each person*s partic(+arit" comes rom ,ithin' b(t a))s that e)(cation cannot be a mere+" a(tonomo(s task' either. Rancire*s notion o the s(bj(#ation o ,i++ to ,i++ estab+ishes the (pper +imit to heteronom" o ,i++& it ens(res emancipation b" not permittin# +a<iness. >+eist*s notion o presence estab+ishes a ma0im(m to heteronom" o inte++i#ence. Th(s' a spectr(m o emancipator" pe)a#o#ica+ strate#ies can be a)mitte)' b(t on+" on a post(+ate o e)(cationa+ reason& there are t,o a(tonomies an) t,o heteronomies.