INSTRUMENTAL REASON AND EDUCATION: REFLECTIONS ON SCHOOL AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES

Abstract

Critical Theory of Society's reflections on instrumental reason are the heart of critical analyzes of the 20th century catastrophes represented by Auschwitz. The ethical imperative expressed by Adorno for education, that Auschwiz not be repeated, remains important insofar the historical changes that took place in the 21st century did not alter the fundamental characteristics of instrumental reason. The current tendency to propose the adjustment of the school to the demands created by digital technologies is pointed out in this article as a symptom of the persistence of the predominance of instrumental reason in education. The objective of this article is to criticize the way in which the insertion of new technologies in the school has been proposed for failing to consider both the ethical dimension of education and the relationship between form and content in the new apparatus. It is concluded that the criticism made to the concept of instrumental reason continues to be fundamental for the recovery of the ethical discussion in education.