Rethinking Bildung: Navigating Planetary Challenges - Symbolic Forms and Interculturality

This presentation discusses the idea of Bildung, considering the epistemic and existential challenges posed in the Anthropocene and is inspired by work done in collaboration with Kenneth Nordgren, Karlstadt University. Drawing on Dipesh Chakrabarty's analysis and distinction between planetary time, ecological time (the time of life on earth), and human time, it criticizes Bildung's reliance on anthropocentric frameworks of mutuality and stability, which fails to account for the rupture introduced by deep time and ecological interdependence. Inspired by Ernst Cassirer's philosophy of symbolic forms, I propose an expanded model of Bildung that integrates diverse epistemic modes—mythic, scientific, and artistic—while fostering critical reflection on humanity's entanglement with non-human 'agents' and systems. Central to this inquiry is the tension between human meaning-making and the destabilization of various symbolically mediated lifeworlds and how this might play out differently in different 'habitats.' To address this, I introduce a dual framework of Cultural Life-World Contexts (CLC) and Symbolic Form Analysis (SFA). CLC emphasizes the lived, relational dimensions of diverse cultural experiences, offering insights into how local and intercultural engagements shape understanding and practices. SFA, by contrast, focuses on the symbolic-semiotic structures underlying meaning and knowledge production across contexts. These approaches enable Bildung to bridge the transcultural and the intercultural, fostering a dynamic interplay between localized life-worlds and broader symbolic systems in the Anthropocene. This reimagined Bildung preserves its transformative aspirations and equips individuals to navigate the complexities of ecological fragility and global interdependence.