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"A spontaneous following" : Wittgenstein, education and the limits of trust

Burwood, Stephen

Authors



Contributors

Michael A. Peters
Editor

Jeff Stickney
Editor

Abstract

It is now commonly argued that trust is fundamental to numerous and varied sorts of human relationships and activities and that education takes place within a fiduciary framework: that a basic trust is essential to child development and the very possibility of initiate learning . It has also been suggested that Wittgenstein’s remarks in On Certainty describe a “fundamental attitude of trust”. I argue that accounts of a generalized, background attitude of trust misuse the term “trust” and that no such notion is to be found in Wittgenstein’s remarks. Rather, Wittgenstein’s soft naturalism suggests that the phenomenon described is better understood as ein spontanes Mitgehen (a spontaneous following), something that he appears to have relied upon in his own, idiosyncratic approach to teaching .

Citation

Burwood, S. "A spontaneous following" : Wittgenstein, education and the limits of trust. In M. A. Peters, & J. Stickney (Eds.), A Companion to Wittgenstein on Education :Pedagogical Investigations (161-177). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3136-6_11

Online Publication Date May 4, 2017
Deposit Date Feb 3, 2017
Journal A Companion to Wittgenstein on Education
Publisher Springer
Peer Reviewed Not Peer Reviewed
Pages 161-177
Book Title A Companion to Wittgenstein on Education :Pedagogical Investigations
ISBN 9789811031342 ; 9789811098000
DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3136-6_11
Keywords Basic attitude of trust; Initiate learning; On Certainty; Soft naturalism
Public URL https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/447800
Contract Date Feb 3, 2017