Freire in the Agora: Critical Pedagogy and Civil Discourse

Abstract

John pell—Whitworth university William duffy—university of memphis keyWords critical pedagogy, civil discourse, Freire, public sphere Awareness of the world, which makes awareness of myself viable, makes unviable the immutability of the world. Awareness of the world and awareness of myself make me not only a being in the world, but one with the world and with others. (emphasis added) -Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of Indignation 15 p olitical debate has always been something of a perilous art. This is especially true when arguments get marred in discursive gridlock, when the available means of persuasion are insufficient for promoting compromise. Indeed, when there is no common ground on which to reconcile competing ideologies, bark and bluster usually result. Our current 113th Congress is a case in point; not only is it one of the most polarized Congresses in history, it is also the most unproductive.