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Conditions for ‘Upbuilding’: A Reply to N igel T ubbs’ Reading of K ierkegaard
Author(s) -
Wivestad Stein M.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of philosophy of education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.501
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1467-9752
pISSN - 0309-8249
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9752.2011.00823.x
Subject(s) - interpretation (philosophy) , reading (process) , contradiction , servant , philosophy , epistemology , computer science , linguistics , programming language
A S pecial I ssue of the J ournal of P hilosophy of E ducation , 2005, issue 2, contains an interesting ‘ P hilosophy of the T eacher’ by N igel T ubbs. It rejects attempts in pedagogical traditions to ignore or avoid the contradiction between the teacher as master and as servant, and ends with an interpretation of ‘upbuilding’, a central concept in S øren K ierkegaard's writings. According to T ubbs’ reading, the teacher's patient struggle with herself in doubt is the basic condition for upbuilding, whereby the eternal's perfect gift of love is given to the students. I maintain that the original D anish text does not fully support this interpretation and defend an alternative reading. The text says that the condition for receiving the perfect gift is itself a gift of G od. Doubt is necessary, but if our doubt were sufficient, we could manage our lives without G od, the condition for receiving the gift would not be a gift, and the possibility for receiving the gift would be spoiled both for teachers and students.