The Bildung Rose
Paper by Lene Rachel Andersen
The Bildung Rose is a description of society and an educational model for connecting our inner worlds to the society in which we live. Understanding the relationship between self and society is crucial because as societies become more complex, we too must change in order to survive and thrive. According to the model, societies evolve, grow and become more complex across seven domains: 1) production; 2) technology; 3) knowledge/science; 4) ethics; 5) narrative; 6) aesthetics, and 7) power.
Given the complexity of modern society, there is an enormous challenge to foster the development of coherent identities that are flexible, adaptive, stable, and comfortable about learning and growing throughout life. Bildung refers to how education, enculturation, life experiences, and emotional and moral/ethical development cultivate responsible, reflective, and autonomous citizens (selves). It also refers to the result of such processes. The Bildung Rose allows us to map the relationship between self and society in a way that orients us toward the well-being and flourishing of both.
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