An Ecosocial Question

Some Theoretical Starting Points for Ecosocial Education

Authors

• Jani Matti Pulkki Tampereen yliopisto https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7058-5364
• Pasi Takkinen Tampereen yliopisto

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33350/ka.120359

Keywords:

educational philosophy, ecosocial Bildung, environmental education, educational theory

Abstract

Ecosocial education has become a central concept in the Finnish educational discourse, but the content of the ecosocial idea is not yet very well known. Our philosophical article examines the theoretical premises of ecosocial education. We address the eco-social issue, by which we mean intertwined ecological and social problems: human social activity poses threats to the life-sustaining systems of Earth. We present one possible interpretation of the currents of ideas related to ecosocial thinking, also analyzing their strengths and weaknesses in terms of ecosocial educational thinking. Our article seeks to understand the nature of ecosocial thinking through eight intellectual traditions: ecosocial Bildung, social ecology, systems theory, multispecies perspective, the more-than-human world, ecofeminism, ecological justice, and technology analysis. We do not offer a precise definition of ecosocial education, but we believe that our inquiry will deepen the ecosocial understanding and contribute to the thinking and planning of ecosocial education.