CHEF Talk ‘Recovering Wisdom

Microsoft Teams meeting link
Meeting ID: 359 134 946 921 881
Access code: pq7E9FJ2 

Abstract:
I am interested in reimagining the South African university, moving it beyond a derivative colonial model and reintroducing insights from wisdom traditions, that is, traditions that foster a whole-person understanding of knowledge rather than an intellectualist understanding, as John Dewey understood this idea. These wisdom-traditions existed, and to some extent still exist in abundance in Africa, although the harm done by colonial violence cannot be ignored. In Southern Africa, this tradition is known as Ubuntu, a tradition in which knowledge is inseparable from a way of life.

Why do universities care little, if anything, about wisdom? This involves questioning how universities understand knowledge. These are key questions for the Allan Gray Centre for Leadership Ethics (AGCLE), where we work to recover wisdom through curricular practices that foster a wisdom-oriented approach to teaching and learning. Service learning is a key component, but working to reconceptualise the university vis-à-vis its place in society is even more central because any genuinely transformative practice must involve transforming the overall orientation of universities. This pedagogical work involves moving beyond the limits of a specific course to reconfigure the university's overall orientation.

Pedro Tabensky
Department of Philosophy
Rhodes University
South Africa