La funzione educativa dell'insegnante: guidare e non indottrinare. Prospettive deontologico-scientifiche in Eduard C. Lindeman

Abstract

Starting from the stimulating remarks by E. C. Lindeman’s article titled Three Verbs in Search of Meaning in: To Teach, To Guide, To indoctrinate (1934) – herein translated into Italian for the first time – this paper addresses the issue of identity and of role of the educator. Lindeman’s writing is an opportunity to examine in depth the meaning of education, conceiving it as a guide and stimulus, through knowledge, to development of the individual personality and, overall, of the whole community, but also it permits to unveil its dangerous expressions, e.g. the indoctrination activity. Moreover, a critical analysis of Lindeman’s text shows interesting suggestions to clarify the relationship between teacher/educator, epistemology of knowledge and professional ethics: they are current issues which highlight the responsibility as the basic characteristic of the teacher/educator, and they come to envision essential guidelines for initial and in-service training teacher/educator.