The education of an adult : the ideas of Martin Buber

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Melbourne, 1991Martin Buber regarded adult education as a means towards the transformation of societies through the process of community renewal. He insisted that the principal object of teaching adults should be to foster in them the spirit of action, and to make them the agents of their own learning. Education, to Buber, was a dialogue conducted between the teacher and the student. He was disturbed by the disillusionment and cynicism he observed in the modern youth of his time, and he saw the teacher-student dialogue as being concerned with the nurturing of hope and faith. Buber did extensive work in the field of adult Jewish education both intellectually and in practice. He was involved first in Germany during the period of the Nazi rise to power, and later in Israel, where he worked vigorously for the cause of community education and the training of teachers for adults. This thesis attempts to explore some of these issues. There are six chapters. The first is a biographical introduction, followed by a discussion of the development of Buber's thought from early mysticism to his later dialogical philosophy. The third chapter is devoted to his ideas concerning social education, which, he believed, would be a force that could bring about a revolution from within society against political power. The next two deal with Buber's convictions on such topics as creativity, freedom and authority and the process of education, leading to his adult educational activities in both Nazi Germany and Israel. Finally, attention is drawn to the influence of his ideas in. providing a philosophical foundation for the theories of other educationalists, such as Paulo Freire. An attempt has been made to demonstrate that in his theories of education, Buber applied the principles of this anthropological philosophy to the concrete realities of teaching and learning. In this way he has provided a valuable mechanism for the contemporary educator who may choose to use his suggestions in any critical evaluation of education