Page 238 - Cultural Studies of Science Education

212 D. Karrow and X. Fazio

In a way, this is a sorting of philosophical lineage. The philosophy of hermeneutic
phenomenology, which attempts to sift through the meanings of possible Being,
illuminates or deconstructs the essential foundation of an entities’ or phenomenon’s
Being. In answering the question, “what is the meaning of Being?” we create a space
within the lives of all people, students in particular, to discover the mystery, awe, and
wonder of Being itself. Is this not a necessary foundation for ecojustice?
While the project of hermeneutic phenomenology makes no claim at revealing
cultural metaphors and the stories carrying them forward, ontic structures or objects,
it does examine the precondition of these structures, their unique Beingness. All of
Heidegger’s thought can be construed as an attempt to articulate this place of being.
The task of philosophy is the task of thinking in an attempt to recover that original
“giving” of being, that original happening of “place.” Thinking is thus essentially a
form of returning home – a homecoming of sorts. In a way, hermeneutic phenomenol-
ogy and the critically oriented philosophies framing ecojustice share a common lin-
eage. They each claim to “deconstruct” current “realities” promoted either through
interpretive frameworks or language. We might add that language is one of many tools
maintaining and bolstering the interpretive framework at play. Ecojustice may be a
micro-deconstructive process focusing intently upon language, concepts, metaphors,
cultural narratives, and so on, whereas hermeneutic phenomenology tackles the orient-
ing interpretive framework creating a space for other interpretive possibilities.
In sum, we see the relationship between PBE theory and ecojustice as follows.
Hermeneutic phenomenology prepares the ground for what ecojustice accom-
plishes. And it does so in a way that reveals to all of us the nature of being human,
human beings’ relationship with the Earth, and the Earth as the ground for the being
of human being. With this in place, the moral fortitude so necessary to compel great
acts of social and ecological justice is revealed.
PBE theory that considers the ontological is founded upon our unique and foun-
dational capacity for care. Such a thoughtful dealing with the world, when given
opportunities to be revealed within citizen science programs such as NatureWatch,
allows students to experience what surely must be the primary aim of educating – to
experience the awe of Being in this world. Within more concrete settings this trans-
lates into teachers providing opportunities for students to describe experiences and
interpret these descriptions using the various forms of disciplinary representation
schools capitulate. Furthermore, it necessitates the pedagogical responsibility on
the part of teachers to provide opportunities for students to express, nurture, and to
let flourish our foundational capacity for care – care for care’s sake. When we care
and are given the message that caring is important, fertile ground is prepared for an
ethic of social and environmental responsibility. Rekindling the mystery around
Being through an affiliation within place is absolutely critical to successive moral
and ethical judgments – capacities necessary to prompt civic engagement.
Ultimately, this is the ground upon which ecojustice thrives; a ground fortified by
the ontological realm of experience.

Acknowledgments The authors wish to thank Michiel van Eijck for his astute editorial advice,
and Michael Mueller and Deborah Tippins for their invitation to contribute to this collected work.