Gregory Bynum 2007
Gregory Bynum is an Assistant Professor in the E
My research examines the limits of human knowledge in educational contexts with the view to developing nonviolent approaches to communication that enable people to connect in meaningful and practical ways while respecting cognitive and moral limits. My dissertation, "Human Rights Education and Kant's Critical Humanism," holds open the question "What does it mean to be human?" in opposition to intellectual habits of inappropriately fixing on established views of what is, and is not, worthwhile humanness. Opposing humanity-limiting views of gender difference, racial difference, and ideological difference are central goals of the dissertation. In my ongoing work, I intend to discuss how people can connect with each other, even in contexts of conflict,oppression, and alienation. How, I wonder, can persistent valuing and respecting, both in oneself and in others, of fragile yet tenacious fundamental human needs for understanding, respect, security, hope, pleasure, and self-actualization be sustained in ways that both embrace the shared-ness of universal human needs and see and respect how our needs differ, emerging differently and ever-unpredictably in individuals' experiences over time and in the experiences of different people?
"I am grateful for the many challenges and opportunities for growth and learning that my experience at Teachers College offered. The wide variety of excellent scholars and teachers with whom I studied in fields ranging from educational philosophy to psychology and conflict resolution made for many wonderful and mind-expanding experiences. I also appreciate the great care and thoughtfulness given, in the Program in Philosophy and Education, to supporting graduate students through the process of dissertation proposal development and dissertation writing. Supportive and intellectually challenging encounters with students and professors helped me and nudged me along in my dissertation planning and writing; this happened both directly through advisement and Dissertation Proposal Seminar courses, and indirectly in Program Colloquia and other stimulating lectures and events at the College."