中欧社会论坛 - China Europa ForumReform of college education
To educate a man to make him a man… Nietzsche
Alfredo Pena-Vega
juillet 2007
ORUS INT
Presentation of the workshop
Nowadays, in China and in Europe, what does the society expect from college education? What kind of university do we need? For two centuries, the world has been through radical transformations regarding not only the goals but also their complexity and their scale. Scientific and technological knowledge have litterally invaded our everyday life and have become major factors of production and power. Development of techno-science is led by economic and strategic interest more than by the mere hope to lift the mysteries of nature. The expectations of society toward college education have changed dramatically both in nature and in range.
Yet, in organization and ideology, university today is still a direct heir to modern university as it was born in Europe in the 19th century, and the “social agreement” between college and society might not be reflecting the role played by college in the evolution of society anymore.
Nowadays there are huge needs for education, and major deficiencies. Edgar Morin pointed out the ethnic dimension of such challenges. Today, an individual must use complex and global knowledge in a context of incertitude; they must re-learn alterity and take care of others: high risk, therefore high responsibilities, is transferred to them.
In this workshop, analysis from actors of various natures concerning those questions shall be collated.