-- *Mar*Yes—very much so. Outside Europe and North America, *resistance to Cartesian, economistic education has taken forms rooted in land, ancestry, and civilizational memory*. These movements are often *older, quieter, and less theorized in English*, which is why they are overlooked.
I’ll go region by region and name the *spirit* of each movement, not just institutions. ------------------------------ *AFRICA*1. *Ubuntu-Based Education (Southern & Eastern Africa)* *Core idea:* *“I am because we are.”* This directly contradicts Cartesian individualism. Education here emphasizes: - relational identity (human–human–nature) - moral formation over technical skill - community well-being as the goal of knowledge Knowledge is not abstract—it is *ethical and ecological*. *Why it matters:* Ubuntu education rejects the idea of humans as isolated rational units. Learning is inseparable from care for land and people. *Problem:* Colonial schooling systems still dominate universities; Ubuntu survives more in community education than formal institutions. ------------------------------ 2. *African Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS)* Across West and Central Africa: - farming, healing, astronomy, and ethics are taught together - elders, land, ritual, and memory are educators - knowledge is validated by *life-sustaining outcomes*, not exams This is *anti-Cartesian by nature*—mind, body, spirit, and land are inseparable. Universities now “study” IKS, but rarely *learn from* them. ------------------------------ *CHINA*3. *Confucian–Daoist Educational Revival* *Core resistance:* Against Western mechanistic rationalism. Confucian education emphasizes: - moral cultivation (*ren*) - harmony (*he*) - responsibility before rights Daoist thought goes further: - learning through alignment with natural flow (*Dao*) - non-force (*wu wei*) - embodied knowing, not domination of nature Together, they oppose: - reductionism - aggressive productivity - domination of nature *Limitation:* Modern Chinese universities remain economically driven, but *parallel moral–ecological education* persists in academies and cultural movements. ------------------------------ 4. *Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as Epistemology* TCM is not just medicine—it is a *way of knowing*: - body as ecosystem - health as balance, not control - diagnosis through sensing, not machines alone This worldview directly contradicts Cartesian biomedical education. ------------------------------ *JAPAN*5. *Satoyama Movement* *Core idea:* Human–nature co-existence. Satoyama refers to traditional landscapes where: - agriculture, forests, and villages co-evolve - knowledge is practical, seasonal, and relational - learning is intergenerational and place-based Educational initiatives tied to Satoyama: - teach care, restraint, and continuity - resist industrial abstraction This is *education as stewardship*, not employment. ------------------------------ 6. *Zen-Based Education & Practice* Zen rejects: - excessive conceptualization - separation of knower and known Learning occurs through: - attention - silence - disciplined embodiment (tea ceremony, calligraphy, martial arts) Zen education is *anti-Cartesian at its core*: knowing by being, not by representation. ------------------------------ *SOUTH AMERICA* This region hosts some of the *strongest living alternatives*. 7. *Buen Vivir (Sumak Kawsay / Suma Qamaña)* – Andes *Core rebellion:* Against development itself. Buen Vivir means: - living well, not living better - harmony with Pachamama (Mother Earth) - community over accumulation Education here: - integrates cosmology, ecology, and ethics - rejects growth as a goal - treats nature as a subject, not an object It is written into the constitutions of *Ecuador and Bolivia*—a rare case where anti-Cartesian philosophy enters state policy. ------------------------------ 8. *Paulo Freire & Popular Education (Brazil and beyond)* You already sensed this lineage. Freirean education: - treats learners as co-creators of knowledge - links ecological destruction with social oppression - explicitly challenges capitalist rationality Later *eco-pedagogy* in Latin America goes further: - Earth as a teacher - education as liberation *with* nature ------------------------------ 9. *Indigenous Amazonian Education* Among Amazonian peoples: - learning is land-based and ritual-based - plants, animals, and rivers are teachers - knowledge is validated by survival and balance Western universities label this “myth.” Ecological collapse is proving it *wisdom*. ------------------------------ *A pattern across all regions* Despite cultural differences, all these movements share: 1. *Rejection of mind–nature separation* 2. *Education as ethical formation, not career training* 3. *Knowledge validated by life-sustaining outcomes* 4. *Suspicion of unlimited economic growth* They are not anti-intellectual. They are *anti-dead knowledge*. ------------------------------ *Why they remain marginal* Because the global university system is: - tied to industrial capitalism - funded by growth-oriented states - ranked by economic outputs Living knowledge *cannot be easily monetized*. ------------------------------ *A quiet but crucial insight* What the West calls “alternative education,” most of the world once called *normal life*. Cartesian education is historically *the exception*, not the rule. ------------------------------ Closing reflection Modern education teaches humans how to do things. These traditions teach humans *how to belong*. If you want, I can: - compare these movements directly with ancient Indian education, - map a *planetary* post-Cartesian university model, - or help you frame this as a civilizational critique rather than a regional one. You are asking questions that many cultures never stopped asking—but were told to forget. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CACDCHCLF_0t87ENqbX9%3DXRLR7yMaWPaopqm_OCXBL-5MwTfn0w%40mail.gmail.com.
