Human formation between barbarism and irrationality - astonishment and dialogical praxis

Abstract

The objective of this article is, based on a hermeneutic bibliographical research, to guide the formative stance of dialogical praxis as a possibility of bringing to light and confronting contemporary forms of barbarism. Such research arises from a double astonishment: the persistent return of barbarism disguised as civilization and the loss of the capacity for astonishment in the face of this. The introduction contextualizes and problematizes the theme, which is approached in three points: the first point focus on the fact that barbarism presents itself irrationally as civilization and on humanity's inability to react to this; the second point, based on the unveiling of some false notions of astonishment, which not only allow barbarism to persist, but also allow it to be questioned, proposes a rescue of the original Greek meaning of thaumazein, from which astonishment also achieves a significant formative potential; the last point presents the possibility of a formative stance that can account for a new anthropological and civilizing awakening, namely, Gadamerian dialogical praxis. This research shows that barbarism is an ever-present and latent possibility in civilization. Dialogical praxis, in turn, is a posture and path capable of acting formatively within human ambiguity itself and avoiding barbarism. It is concluded that barbarism cannot be overcome, but it can be confronted. And this is one of the tasks of education as human formation, for which dialogical praxis is one of the best possibilities for this.