Phenomenology, Politics, Education

Between education and politics there is an original and undeniable relationship: each civilisation re-produces and recreates itself through education (which is why politics is interested in education) andeducation is the basis of civil coexistence (that’s why politics depends on the quality of education).In the framework of this mutual interdependence, education may assume towards society a “subver-sive”ora“countercyclical”role(NeilPostman),accordingtowhetherthehistoricalmomentischarac-terised by stability or quick and deep changes. In any case, education is always “political”, since uponit depends the process of “democratization of democracy” (Anthony Giddens) that society shouldprovide in order to avoid the decline and pervertion of the spirit and values of the democratic citi-zenship. From this viewpoint, phenomenology contributes to the training of feeling and thinkingunderlying the critical exercise of reason and choice.