On the contemporaneity of the phenomenon of the semi-formation: an analysis from the essay Philosophy and Teachers

Abstract

The phenomenon of semi-formation is treated carefully by Adorno in his text Theory of Semiculture, but it is also possible to observe his concern with the theme in the essays of the collection Education and Emancipation as in Philosophy and Teachers. In these texts, the philosopher analyzes starting from his experience as examining teacher, the candidates were submitted to a general test of philosophy for admission in Hessen State’s high schools. In these interviews, the young people had an exaggerated restlessness. They did not understand the reasons why they should turn to the study of currents and philosophical systems required by the contest. They saw it as a waste of time since they would not use that knowledge in their professional lives. For the philosopher, candidates’ behavior reveals aspects of the semiformation itself, that is, the evident valorization of the immediate and technical formation, directed specifically to the functions to be performed to the detriment of the cultural formation that should guide the teaching life. The aim of this article, therefore, is to analyze semiformation through the essay The Philosophy and Teachers as a phenomenon that also extends to the training of teachers which makes their criticism urgent.