Common sense as a site of struggle for universality
Mojca Kovač Šebart

Summary:  This article starts from the thesis that ideology becomes realised in our common-sense meanings and practices, which is why we should study »the functioning of common sense as a site of struggle« (Apple 2018, p. 267) if we are to »stop the dominance« of particularity in education in public educational institutions. Common sense should be replaced with universal values and duties defined by human rights. Education in public educational institutions should never remain unconsidered in relation to the fundamental common values shared by different, particular value systems. Dominant social norms and various cultural specifics, especially when guiding actions and decisions, should be reflected upon within the framework of shared values and norms with universal validity. The role of the school is to make students internalise shared values and norms and apply them as principles in different concrete situations. This makes it possible for common-sense reasoning regarding shared values »to be the same for everybody« (Medveš 2018, p. 48). This article is a response to the »philosophical deepening« of the issue (ibid.), as well as a demonstration that we do not mock the recommendations suggesting that teachers should educate following »common sense«; quite the contrary, we have always taken them really seriously.

* Full text article is only available in Slovenian language.
Journal of Contemporary Educational Studies is
published with support of Slovenian Research Agency.