Theoretical and empirical research on the possibility of critical Bildung

In addition to imparting knowledge and skills, nurturing human growth also requires assisting with the development of other abilities, including those that can’t be measured. Rather than viewing human growth as something that can be systematically and manipulatively affected, Professor Shinji Nobira is advocating for individuals and the societies in which they live in a better and more accurate way that incorporates human formation theory and its application to biographical research. Through this research, Nobira wants to depict the reality of how people grow through their interactions with their environment. He believes the work will provide people suffering from neoliberal discourse with a theoretical basis for affirming their own lives by showing that human growth is not limited to the linear enhancement of abilities. Rather than taking the route of textual analysis and interpretation common to much research of educational philosophy, Nobira’s work ensures a direct connection with empirical reality through interviews. In his latest project, he is exploring the possibility of critical Bildung through theoretical and empirical research. He believes that the idea of a socially critical attitude is more important now than ever before in the context of the reality of social networking services in every corner of our lives. He thinks it’s important to empirically reconstruct the possibility of human freedom.