Abstract:

In Being and Time, Martin Heidegger boldly claims that Western thought from Plato onward had omitted the crucial question of what it means “to be:” In other words, to be physically present prior to any philosophical or scientific analysis. In his work on the question of technology, he further claimed that the new technologies lead inevitably to enframing, to alienation. In this vein, all internet based teaching, or especially the distant learning of two classes by two sets of faculty, between the Ukraine and NY, would have to be rejected as inauthentic. Instead of the Heideggerian assumption of a further decline in dialogue, by constricting our experience to technologically dominated conversation, the recent work between faculty and students from the National Pedagogical Dragomanov University in Kiev and the State University of New York, college at Oneonta, is proof of the opposite: direct exchanges, and real time experiences for faculty and students, made it possible to work closely together despite a raging war. This is, however, a dialogue that goes beyond the assumption of merging of horizons: both sides have the immediate ability to help each other not only to understand, but also to act together. The presentation will elaborate on the chances of Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) programs that connect students and professors in different countries for collaborative projects and discussions. It is the direct outcome of collaboration that was not interrupted by the Ukrainian war. My Ukrainian colleagues have also been able to keep their university alive online in times of war. The presentation will attempt to show that the alternative to teacher dispersed learning with dialectical co-inquiry is possible in another medium. In looking at alternative traditions in the philosophy of education, Rousseau and Pestalozzi, we will discuss if it is necessary to assume that we become corrupted by the evils of a technologically enhanced society. In opposition to the view of Heidegger, that technology necessarily brings about our decline, the presentation will discuss alternatives that allow to avoid the feared controlling power of the tools of online based distant learning, With the example of a panel held online between 4 Ukrainian professors and an introductory class of philosophy in NY in March 2022, possibilities of raising awareness for the potentially enframing nature of technology will lead to a discussion of the chances of authentic intercultural exchange with the help of instructional technology. The old Kantian goal of enlightenment, to orient oneself, is possible independently of the technological means.

Keywords:

Dangers of technology, Heidegger, Rousseau, Distant Learning, enlightenment, orient oneself, Kant.