The Anthropological Determination of Pedagogy

Pedagogy has always been open to other disciplines that reflect about the educational process (philosophy, sociology, psychology, anthropology, technology, etc.). Its interdisciplinary openness puts education, as the subject of pedagogy within a broader context of the community, enabling the knowledge of other disciplines to contribute to a better understanding of the fundamental pedagogical notion of education. The purpose of pedagogy as a science serves humans, strives towards humans, must be for humans, and this is its ultimate goal. Humans are essentially dependent on education, which is also considered as a category of humans’ being, because through education an entire world develops in humans. Anthropological assumptions of humans as "deficient beings" see the solution in education, but they also indicate a wealth of shortcomings, because they provide an opportunity for enrichment and formation of culture, living and the self. In that context, this paper illustrates the determination of pedagogy through an anthropological conception of humans and the phenomenon of education. It presents a review of anthropological ideas about education, by providing an analysis of relevant literature dealing with the anthropological notion of humans, which provides fruitful conditions for a pedagogical reconsideration of education. Keywords—Pedagogy, education, humans, anthropology, culture. I. PEDAGOGY AS A SCIENCE ABOUT EDUCATION HE most general attribute of pedagogical science lies in defining pedagogy as a science about education. Education is a very complex phenomenon that affects humans from the day of their birth until the day of their death. It occurs in different life situations and affects all parts of their being by manifesting in various forms. That is why the science about education is related to other sciences that deal with humans and the patterns of their physical, psychological and social development [1]. When it comes to a phenomenon that is as complex as education is, the complexity of everyday life requires an interdisciplinary dialogue and interconnection of notions made by different sciences. The field of study of only one science is too narrow for solving today` s complex life problems. For this reason the reaches of other sciences help pedagogy understand humans and the phenomenon of education. In the same way pedagogy, with its scientific contribution, helps all other sciences that use its notions in studying their subjects. The phenomenon of education is an act or a process of defining a man as a human being. This is the subject of pedagogical science. In no way can we level it with the organization of the educational system and social activity that should accomplish educational tasks and that has its legal, economic, political, sociologic, psychological and other S. Kakuk is with the University JosipJurajStrossmayer, Osijek, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, LorenzaJagera 9, 31 000 Osijek, Croatia (email: [email protected],[email protected]). aspects. These aspects are in the reach of other sciences that study, comprehend, and think about their subject, but not the phenomenon of education [1]. They are interested in the activity of education only as in the means that can help them conceive their subject of study, and they do it by analyzing specific situations. Just like sociology of education does not study educational phenomena, but the sociological aspect in the field of education, psychology studies the psychological aspect in the same field; anthropology studies the anthropological aspect in the field of educational system. This means that they do not study the phenomenon of education and its patterns, but follow the manifestations of their patterns in the field of education. This task and subject belong exclusively to pedagogy as an integral science about education. Therefore, pedagogy has a noble goal-the education of humans. Humans have not reached their fullness by being physically born and brought to this world. The process of growing and developing is in front of them. This is the task of education-to create a human [2]. Almost all great figures in human intellectual history (Plato, Aristotle, Locke, Rousseau, Kant, Humboldt, Dilthey, Durkheim, Dewey, Tolstoy) wrote about education. In spite of this, the term education still has many references like: ̋permanent and controlled attempt of affecting the growing generation in educator love in order to control it ̋ [3], or ̋the overall process of developing a man as a human being ̋ [4], that is the process of developing man` s personality ̋ to ̋ social acts with which people try to permanently improve the set of psychological dispositions of other people with psychological or sociocultural means, or they try to keep their components considered to be valuable ̋[5] to planned activity of adults to define the mental life of young people [6]. Education includes all possible measures that help young people become humans. This lasts until the student is considered to be mature [7]. This tells us that the student is not considered to be human, but his humanity is filled with his maturity. This term contains an anthropological assumption according to which humans need education because they are still not ̋the real humans ̋. Education is equally important in the life of an individual and in the historical development of mankind. These different definitions that can be seen when defining education come from the dependence on the view of the one who uses it and the scientific conception that is represented. In this context, it would be important to observe education, the subject of pedagogy, in an integrative way. Anthropologically traditional question ̋What is human? ̋ is opposed to relatively modern anthropology that does not talk about its essence anymore. Instead different sciences (biology, psychology, medicine, cultural anthropology, philosophy, theology) deal with it from different aspects [8]. Pedagogical anthropology as a scientific discipline makes the transition Sara Kakuk The Anthropological Determination of Pedagogy T World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences