The Existential Conditions of Explicitness: an Heideggerian perspective

abstract

This paper examines the notions of “disorientating dilemmas” and “critical incidents” from the perspective of the hermeneutic phenomenology of Martin Heidegger. It maintains that disorientating dilemmas and critical incidents do not lead necessarily to reflection. For very often critical incidents are met with a defensive or dogmatic response. Using an Heideggerian logic it maintains that ruptures or disturbances in everyday living transform that which we habitually take for granted into explicit themes of concern. It shows that both reflection and defensiveness are forms of explicitness. It concludes by maintaining that the role of the adult educator is to transform the speechlessness experienced in moments of rupture into educational opportunities and to transform defensive forms of explicitness into reflective forms.