Hi, I'm Armend here. And in this module on transformation, we built on the concepts of innovation, creative diversity, and center that you have learned about from Jack, Catherine, and Daryl so far. And now we turn to Bildung, which is a rich and complex concept from the Enlightenment era. And in this video, I will present my take on Bildung, focusing mostly on the writings of a German philosopher, called Wilhelm von Humboldt. Who wrote about Bildung in 1793 in a text titled Theory of Bildung. The writings of Humboldt are important, because he translated the philosophical concept of Bildung for human development purposes through education. Because he helped actually design one of the first public education systems in the western world in then Prussia, which is today's Germany. In the module, we use the original term Bildung in this and the other videos, because there is no direct translation of this German concept into English. However, a number of terms have been used to try to capture what Bildung is about. And some of these concepts include formation, self-cultivation, inner development, and being educated. Bildung is both a process and an outcome, so it's a lifelong process of shaping ourselves. And an ongoing outcome of becoming a unique individual and a unique subject along the way in the process. Bildung emerged during the Enlightenment era. When the emphasis was on using reason for developing individual rational autonomy and freeing individuals from the control of others. Others being either other powerful individuals in the community or other powerful institutions, such as the church at the time. Bildung is a life long process of unfolding our own individuality and creativity through learning, through doing, and becoming. Humboldt set a high standard on what it means to be human being. And what it means to be an educated or a cultivated human being, to be more precise. Because according to him, in the start of our lives, we face the problem of absence of clear purpose and direction. And to overcome this problem, Humboldt says that it is our task to develop humanity in our person and the world. Altering the span of our life and beyond it, through the traces and actions we leave behind. According to Humboldt, this can be fulfilled by the linking of the self to the world to achieve the most animated, the most unrestrained interplay. In this way, we can make meaning of ourselves in the world and meaning of the world to us. Humboldt considered that individuals needed to be cultivated and elevated into higher beings. So that they are able to transform themselves and to transform the world around them. So that they become significant to the world with the traces they leave behind. According to him, to fully achieve the goals of Bildung meant grasping a completely fresh view of the world. And contributing to humankind by the development of ones own unique and creative self. And this is achieved through the inner Bildung, and through the awareness of the greater significance in us. In the process of acquiring Bildung, Humboldt argued that there was two sources of influence that try to interrupt it. And the first one is the times when we live, and the second is the nations that we are situated in. So for Humboldt the interruptions are limitations and resistance that emerge from the times we live and the nation's we belong to. And to put this into perspective, we could say that the opportunities for achieving Bildung today are more easily accessible. With the available information and communication technologies, than it was 20 or 30 years ago, where the ICTs were not available. So just because we live in different times, we have higher opportunities or more opportunities to achieve the Bildung. And it is the same with the nations we belong to. Even though the concept of the nation today is not as strong as it used to be when Humboldt wrote about it. But what it means is that if we grow up or get educated in a developed country versus a developing country. Then the the difference in the opportunities we have to achieve Bildung is massive, just because not the same opportunities are available in the two contexts. To Humboldt, the genius is the ones who manage to overcome these two interruptions of times and nations, or view it as disturbances in the society. But they aren't true transformers, they're the ones who move their nations to more positive directions. And Humboldt used the concept of disturbances may be similar to the way that we use the concept of disruptions nowadays. Which according to Humboldt were initiated by the geniuses who apply creativity and innovation. Which are the two key aspects for initiating disturbances or disruptions, and that's how transformations occur. So then you can see now the connections between the prior concepts in the course and Bildung. And that means that disrupters are the ones who manage to overcome the interruptions or limitations in their context with the successful disruptions. That move the societies towards transformation. And if you pay attention to the global news today, you will be able to identify examples of movements that are trying to disrupt societies for transformation purposes. And perhaps one good example of that nowadays is the Black Lives Movement in the United States. Bildung is more than the mastery of contents, it's more than the development of competencies or skills. It's more than knowing something or being able to do it, because Bildung is about becoming a unique subject in the world. So it gets into the subjective part, not only the objective part someone can achieve. In sum, Bildung is about placing ourselves in the world, connecting deeply with ourselves, as well as the world around us. And transforming ourselves, our profession, or what we do, and the humankind. Bildung is a pathway for meaning making, for purpose, and for transformation. Now in the Humboldtian sense, may I turn to you, and ask, how are you going to unfold your creativity and transform yourself, either personally, or professionally, or otherwise? What disturbances or disruptions will you initiate by unlocking the geniuses inside you? So that you are able to transform or you contribute to the transformation of yourself and community, or the world, towards more positive directions? And lastly, how will the world know that you have lived? As an example, or as an exercise associated to this video, I would like to invite you to do two things. First, make a list of the things that you have accomplished so far, which you care about and which you consider are relevant and important for you. And then in the second step, for every of those accomplishments, try to describe or extract the meaning. That each of those accomplishments have had on transforming you as an individual, or the outer world around you that you are part of. Because that is very important for Bildung, to get into the meaning that we make as we go through our lives. So I want to thank you for your attention, and I will see you in the next video.
