From the egoic self to the ecological self: recognition and the crisis of social bonds from an inclusive perspective

Abstract

This article examines, from an anthropologicalpedagogical perspective, the relationship between the fragility of the ego and the vulnerability of the masses, interpreting it as an expression of the contemporary crisis of social bonds, recognition, and the educational processes through which subjectivity is formed. The underlying hypothesis is that this crisis points to an implicit anthropology centered on an egoic, separate, performative self, strongly dependent on external recognition. In order to avoid reductionist interpretations, the article adopts the paradigm of complexity within a biopsychosocial framework. On this basis, it explores, on the one hand, Martin Buber’s dialogical pedagogy, which rethinks education through relationship, recognition, and the IThou paradigm, and, on the other hand, the ecosophical perspective of Joanna Macy and Arne Næss, which points toward overcoming the egoic self in the direction of the ecological self. The ecological self is thus interpreted as a relational form of identity, intrinsically oriented toward care, coresponsibility, and the inclusion of the other. The article interprets the fragility of the ego and the vulnerability of the masses as issues of particular relevance to special and inclusive pedagogy, since they concern processes of recognition, belonging, and participation among subjects exposed to forms of marginalization, exclusion, or functional reduction.