Why Informed Heart?

In 1960, Bruno Bettelheim wrote Informed Heart: autonomy in a mass age (‘An answer to those who fear the loss of self in modern society’). And I suspect many of us fear the loss of self over recent years, as well as the loss of authentic connections with others. Bettelheim’s book reflects on the challenges humanity faces being overpowered with technology, in the context of the evil dehumanisation strategies he experienced in Nazi concentration camps Dachau and Buchenwald. Timely, indeed.

Reading authors like Bettleheim, and Annie Jacobsen's research of Operation Paperclip, Claudia Koonz The Nazi Conscience and Victor Klemperer's Diaries allow profound insights into the psycho-social contexts of WWII. As an educationalist, I am appalled how these texts have been deliberately omitted from our national curriculums. Personally, piecing together my own grandfather's WWII story, which like so many, was tragically never articulated during his lifetime, also adds to my motivations.

Reason and compassion cannot be separated and form the basis of lifelong learning. Authentic learning needs guidance through blending curiosity with love. So, with this in mind, here is a space for my research, reflections, podcasts and formal writings which attempt to unravel why our education systems have failed us. What can we all do about it? Well, we can start by helping to raise awareness about WHY this has happened and only then can we progress ideas about what the hell we can do to solve these problems.

Thank you for being here and your support with my work.