Enseñar a no saberla contra-educación como acción política en Agustín García Calvo (1926-2012)

Abstract

Abstract The approach of this dissertation is brought about by the growing worries about the passivity of the democratic subject. Therefore, I look for a subject that may act politically, circumscribing this search to the analysis of reality carried out by Agustín García Calvo. As for methodological issues, gathering bibliography has been essential to achieve a global perspective: his numerous articles, talks, seminars, conversations, or readings of poetry show us his feverish activity. I have deemed adequate to include a great variety of quotations, which may highlight his style, in order to make his texts speak anew, without turning them into something already known, into the history of ideas. I strive here for the very reasoning, more than any possible conclusion. I have divided the paper in nine parts: The introduction focuses on the process of development, the peculiarities of the thought I am dealing with, and some general considerations. The biographical section, which includes his ideological background and influences, shows a global overview of his works. AGC is embedded in his historical context by means of memories and anecdotes provided by his abundant fellow travellers, who also underline his work of counter-education. Here I mean his disciples, especially F. Savater and his breaking point with "the master", as well as the movements he had to deal with, even though those were never of a final nature. Quite the opposite happens with the authors appearing in the following chapter, 'What is he listening to?' I have selected those authors because of their strong influence on AGC, and they make their appearance according to AGC's reading order. The third part begins a more thematic line. It is devoted to common reason, to language, to thinking, and I have therefor focused on his book on the fragments by Heraclitus, which encompasses general, political, and theological reason, constituting a vital chunk of his analysis of Reality. The fourth part distinguishes between Upstairs Politics and people's politics, to end in a thorough critique of institutions. I review there his analysis of the main concepts, such as State, Progress, or Democracy, as well as their inherent institutions: Subject, Family, Philosophy or Science, Love, Coupling, and Automobile. I also consider his work against Politics by means of his asking "what is that?" and his saying "no", as a way to search for the political action underlying speech acts, or by analysing Chaos and Order. The fifth part focuses on how Education, Knowledge, and some examples of counter-education show their link with un-learning. I clarify what his concept of Knowledge implies, and what is what a child knows before being subjected to Pedagogy, Teaching, and Civility. Finally, I deal with counter-education, his role in students' demonstrations, and his comments thereon. The sixth part is centred on tactics, taking very much into account his thinking about violence, organisation, reproduction, or the links between drama and politics. I close with some considerations on what "the good" is. The last three parts comprise the Conclusion, the bibliography, and a series of attachments. With regards to the conclusion, I have underscored the impossibility for a subject to appear and be able to act within this democratic Reality. The only option then is to undermine it to be rid of submission to Power and other beliefs, and to try and get back whatever is left from us as people. Only from what is common we can accomplish true political action; and the way to achieve that goal is by means of counter-education, which aims directly against Knowledge, which is the basis for Reality, for what is known. In that regard, AGC fosters common reason and disobedience, trying to awaken the negation that opposes the domination of Reality. I intend to get to a starting point that allows for action and, at the same time, I urge our discipline -philosophy- to revise its origin and purposes, so it can return to the time in which philosophical activities did not have a name, and neither unassailable truths.