The “Existential Turn” in Education as an Answer to Crises Facing an Individual

Abstract

The author characterizes a crisis as a complex and multidimensional phenomenon. She points out the ambivalence of crises, as they can lead to a final catastrophe or create good conditions for transgression. She argues that the absence of crises might be worrying and even pathological, as it may demonstrate the avoidance of challenges and no commitment to one’s development. She refers to Theodor Adorno’s idea of partial education and indicates some of its symptoms. Against that background, some fields of educational activity are discussed. In the author’s opinion, they are essential for restoring the balance disturbed by a crisis as well as for using a crisis for the benefit of one’s development.