No. 3 (2022): In Wonderland

The loss of wonder is often seen as one of the causes of the lack of motivation of the students and, more generally, outside the classroom, of young people. These would be no longer caught by wonder for anything, and therefore not be pushed to learn nor to engage in other activities, with a consequent state of sloth and depression. The anesthetization of the faculty of wonder is sometimes attributed to a constant hyperstimulation by the world of social media and communication 3.0, and therefore to a growing (induced) need for ever new stimuli, more and more noisy, colorful and intrusive, and less and less demanding in terms of mental and time commitment. The final outcome of this would be a sort of sensory overdose, which would culminate in a state of apathy: nothing would be more truly desirable.

How can the school, and the world of education in general, awaken the dormant sense of wonder, and the consequent motivation to “deal” with the world? Is it useful, or even only possible, to compete with the hyperstimulating models of the social context in which the younger generations live? Is it useful, or even possible, to bring these worlds “inside” educational institutions and agencies?

This issue of DYNAMIS explores these questions, aided by the reflection of two contemporary scholars on the topic of wonder. The two articles by Mario di Paolantonio and Anders Schinkel, in dialogue with the perspectives of more classic authors such as Dewey, Buber and Arendt, focus on wonder in childhood and adolescence.