'Beyond the Self' as a Goal of Education: Heidegger's Philosophy and Education in the West and in Japan

Abstract

The influence of Heidegger's philosophy on education cannot be ignored either in the West or in Japan. This presentation is to try to compare some previous studies of ontological education or educational theories based on Heidegger's ontology in several countries and to reveal the common theme among them. On the basis of Heidegger's philosophy, ontological education tries to overcome the anthropocentric view of the world and insists that we should be open to the Being by getting rid of self-centered intentions. According to Paul Standish, this is the task of going 'beyond the self'. However, ontological education which regards the concept of 'beyond the self' as its own goal tends to bring a naive ethical evaluation into the ontological perspective, and to veil the danger of such an evaluation in ontological thought, the danger which has been shown in Heidegger's participation in National Socialism.