The relational construction of the individual and society and the necessity for a relational concept of education (Bildung)

Abstract

Since the 1980s, we have seen an increase and expansion of individualization processes. Initially, the liberation of the individual from the boundaries of normative constraints was celebrated under the catchphrase postmodernism (Lyotard, 1984, Welsch,1988). Over time, however, it would become apparent that not everyone benefitted from this development (Neckel, 2000) and that the reduction in normative constraints came at a price, namely the loss of normative orientation. When we look at societal developments of the last decade, we can see a fundamental erosion of the social in many Western cultures. The answer to this should by no means be a return to overcome constraints. But there is a necessity for an education that enables the individual to act responsibly in a (allegedly) multi-optional world. An education that acknowledges that the relationship between the individual and society is inevitably reciprocal. As a basis for this, a concept of education will be outlined below that is based on the epistemological and social-theoretical foundations of Relational Constructivism (Kraus, 2015, 2019a, b). Central to this is the theoretical concept of the individual and society as relational constructions that both enable and restrict each other.