Reply: Knowledge Produced as a Commodity versus Humanism

Abstract

This is a discussion of a contribution by Stephen Fox to ETTI 26, 3. The author recognizes education per se as a value to be promoted and shares Fox's concern that the humanistic tradition can be threatened by modern applications of distance education and information technology. He claims that this threat can be ‐‐ and is being ‐‐ averted, however. Thus, on the one hand he points to a strong commitment among today's distance educators to promote student autonomy and develop abilities for critical and independent thinking, and on the other hand he indicates ways to use modern technology as an instrument serving liberal education.