<Abstract>
Uncovering the purpose of education is a basic and essential endeavor to all educators. The topic of 'autonomy' as an educational purpose has been the adamant philosophical position since Immanuel Kant. His concept of autonomy is an idea of transcendental freedom, encompassing the following concepts such as 'self regulation', 'self legislation', 'self evaluation', 'self selection', 'self decision', 'self control' etc. Kant understands that autonomy has neither cause-and-effect decision nor personal desire. So, for Kant, there is a 'cognitive characteristcs' in the core concept of autonomy.
Concerning the purpose of education, there is no universal definition which can be applied to all times and eras. But if we think educational end as a kind of self selection or self decision, autonomy can achieve its justification as the purpose of education, as ever. The followings are the justifiable reasons this study has uncovered.
First, autonomy can be a purpose of education because it connotes the notion of 'an autotelic being' and 'authenticity'. Recognition of each individual as an autotelic being is the fundamental basis of respecting all people. This recognition naturally connotes autonomy. And authenticity does not retain any egoistic characteristics but represents truth with modesty. For Sartre, authenticity implies the characteristics of modesty and warmth, and it also can be acquired through the abandonment of trying to become 'God'. Thus, strict autonomy reasonably requires authenticity. Accordingly, authenticity is the critical evidence to represent the purity of autonomy. And autonomy also has its justifiable reason in itself. Kant's autonomy is not the concept of personal egoism but the concept of respect to all people, transcendentally integrating 'I' and 'Other' as an inseparable term. Based on this epistemological viewpoint, autonomy can acquire the characteristics of morality in its meaning because it can be only made by strict recognition. This function can be a critical justification enabling us to use autonomy as a purpose of education.
Second, autonomy can be a purpose of education because it takes morality in its characteristics throughout strict recognition. This function can be a critical reason of using autonomy as a purpose of education.
But it is true that there are many criticisms on autonomy as well. These criticisms mostly emerge from the practical concern that excessive emphasis on autonomy can help split our society into broken pieces. These criticisms should not be disregarded since these criticisms are made by intensive research findings in a wide array of disciplines, which also implies the necessity of further supplementary inquiry. The importance of emotion emerges at this stage. The life of human beings is thoroughly grounded in the life-world they are situated in. So, one's approach to the objectification is largely depended on emotion. Human beings approach emotionally and grasp all objectivity cognitively.
Different from feeling, emotion is situated in a deeper place than its counterpart in human mind. Emotion functions as a driving force for feeling and it is a kind of inner character experienced for a long period of time.
Back in the days, recognition of emotion was simple. Emotion was an object of self restriction since it was approached not educationally but morally. G. Pitcher criticizes 'the traditional view of emotion' because, in his view, traditional view is not rational and can't successfully explain reason. According to him, all the emotions subsume 'reason'. Besides, researches show that reason needs 'apprehension' and 'evaluation' while emotion makes human beings to have 'the inclination for acting'. It implies the cognitive character of emotion. We can also find the cognitive character in 'empathy' and 'caring' as the kind of emotion by M. Hoffman, C. Gilligan and N. Noddings. J. Dewey speaks out the cognitive characteristics of emotion in his book, Art as Experience, as well.
Emotion can play the supplementary role of autonomy because of the following reasons.
First, it can be a kind of purpose because the approach to the objectification by human beings is largely depended on emotion.
Second, emotion can be a purpose of education considering the aesthetic aspect of human's life. Aesthetic experience can provide students with a space of experiencing the completeness of thinking. J. Dewey says that incomplete characteristics of human's life makes experience more aesthetic. Of course, aesthetic cognition is accompanied by aesthetic emotion. Although just a little, emotion also can acquire its justification in itself based on Kant's philosophy. According to Kant, 'Will' is the result of strict 'Categorical Imperative', so the process of 'Will' itself can be aesthetic in its nature. P. Stratton-Lake also says that Kant's 'Respect' is a kind of feeling connected with moral law. So, it is apparent that Kant considers emotion in relation to cognition to some degree.
Third, emotion can acquire its justification through emotional sensitivity. Emotional sensitivity helps students to maintain mutual subjectivity because it enables students to think the morality of 'empathy' and 'caring'.
When we think autonomy and emotion in a relational way, 'educated man' can be defined as 'the person of emotional autonomy'. Accordingly, each human being can be considered as a kind of 'whole person'.
'The person of emotional autonomy' can be justified by the following reasons.
First, the concept of 'person of emotional autonomy' can be justified by the notion of 'whole person' and 'the person of character'. Because the concept encompasses autonomy, emotion, morality, and creativity, it can acquire its qualification as the purpose of education.
Second, the concept of 'person of emotional autonomy' can function as a substitution to the concept of 'Panopticon' in school. The life of the present is important to the concept of 'person of emotional autonomy'. This can make our school the place of pleasure and hope.
Third, the concept of 'person of emotional autonomy' can be justified by the notion of 'man of character'. The concept of respects 'I' and 'Other' together. And the concept of 'person of emotional autonomy' connotes the concept of 'I' and 'Other', too. So, the concept of 'person of emotional autonomy' and 'man of character' have mutual understanding.
Fourth, because the concept of 'person of emotional autonomy' aims at 'rightness and wisdom', it does not intend to destruct but intend to build human relations. So, it can acquire its qualification as a purpose of education.
Fifth, it can be the figure of man of educational purpose in that the concept of 'person of emotional autonomy' leads human's life in a positive way.
In oder to educate 'the person of emotional autonomy' practically, the recognition of teachers' autonomy is by far the most important aspect. Teachers should exist as the teachers of students not as the employees of the government. Qualifications of government employee is neither the necessary condition nor the sufficient condition for education. The more society and the government raise the recognition of teacher's autonomous position, the more education can approximate to its ideal essence.
In oder to educate 'the person of emotional autonomy' practically, it is needed to make our school the place of intentional environment. In the idea of R. S. Peters and J. Dewey, education is a kind of intentional concept. The role of teachers is very important for them. Teachers have to assist 'scaffolding' for the growth of students on a consistent basis.
In oder to educate 'the person of emotional autonomy', it is valuable to teach Kant's 'Categorical Imperative'. However, if students are very young, 'The Golden Rule' can be valuable for them mainly at the beginning of a school year. In oder to educate 'the person of emotion', it is also needed to make our school the place of emotional environment. In the classroom, establishing amicable atmosphere can help students in searching for the core of all 'occurrent emotions' and 'dispositional emotions'. And it helps them both in growing emotional sensitivity and in maintaining amicable relations through the 'apprehension' and 'interchange'.
'Defamiliarization' and 'deconstruction' can be a useful way of education in order to educate 'the person of autonomy'. Students can be benefited to a greater extent from it in growing their capacities of cognition. These methods also function as justifiable methods of individual education.
It is necessary to emphasize various artistic education and physical education too. The capacity using a musical instrument at a minimum level can help students to become 'the person of emotion'. And students can maintain affirmative emotions and grow the morality of caring and cooperation with the presence of physical education. Field experiences of visiting and observation of museum or art gallery also can be a good resources of education.
When educating the person of emotional autonomy as the whole person, we need to carry out education to grow each student as 'the person of total intelligence' owing to the fact that the character of 'the person of emotional autonomy' is basically interrelated and furtherly integrated. The education of a whole person is the one respecting the inner sides of education and it should not the one trying to make improper 'indoctrination'. So, educating 'the person of emotional autonomy' can be the education including not only knowledge education but also intelligence education. Based on this perspective, students' reading books must be articulated so that they can obtain literacy in their broad areas of learning. 'Oral composition' can be a good method for this goal.
In the classroom, when educating 'the person of emotional autonomy', 'role activity based on responsibility' is another good method. This activity helps students to integrate autonomy and emotion into an inseparable learning capacity. And 'praise ticket' is also good for adolescents. Although this method is externally enforced by teachers, it can be useful to direct students' inner purposes to a desirable course of education with teachers' careful attentiveness.
To sum up, autonomy is justified as the purpose of education, and emotion is described more as its supplement. When we direct autonomy and emotion as an integral thing, educated man can be 'the person of emotional autonomy'. In education, various endeavors are predictively needed to educate 'the person of emotional autonomy'.