Childhood, natality and education: A dialogue with Hannah Arendt

Abstract

This paper discusses the concepts of childhood, ‘natality’ and education based on a dialogue with Hannah Arendt. The presentation of the thesis according to which the power of childhood resides in the force of language, sustained by authors of philosophy such as Giorgio Agamben and Walter Kohan, composes the argumentative strategy that proposes an approximation between the concept of natality formulated by Arendt and the new generations’ education process. The theoretical imprint of the study is based on a review of the literature and it seeks to articulate two distinct epistemological fields: education and philosophy. As a provisional result, it may be affirmed that, on the one hand, the birth and arrival of children in the world challenges adults to undertake the responsibility for educating them, having as its basis the freedom of will. On the other hand, it is argued that the ‘natality’ of adults may only take place when they act in a free manner in the political arena of public life.

Keywords: childhood, natality, education.