FROM KNOWLEDGE TO WISDOM: A NEW CHALLENGE TO THE EDUCATIONAL MILIEU WITH IMPLICATIONS FOR RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Abstract

The epistemological paradigm, known as post-modernity, challenges some of the presuppositions of educational systems in general, and of religious education in particular. One of these presuppositions is the exaggerated primacy given to knowledge attained through reason. However, the paradigm shift invites us to make a transition from knowledge to wisdom—to the integration and transformation of knowledge into human experience. This transition helps us incorporate into the learning process those particular ways of learning that are preferred by many women, bringing us to a more holistic conception of religious education. It enables us to establish a new relationship between learners and educators in the model of a learning circle.