Paolo Freire Has Been Noted to Be

Paolo Freire has been noted to be one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century and responsible for a tremendous amount of philosophical thought and meditations on consciousness and the human condition. Reading Freire's "Pedagogy of the Oppressed" means that one receives a truly innovative perspective on the educational experience for the student and introduces one to a truly novel approach to education -- the banking approach. Studying Friere's musings on education can be a truly illuminating experience even today and much of what he writes regarding pedagogy can spark empowerment and change.

Friere's innovation is obvious in the sense that he describes the culture of silence, but still sees the potential for development and transcendence within that culture. "Every person, however ignorant or submerged in the 'culture of silence' can look critically at his or her world, through a process of dialogue with others, and gradually come to perceive his personal and social reality, think about it, and take action in regard to it" (1974). To be sure, the culture of silence indeed has its potential for oppression and for the stunted development of all involved. However, there is still the belief that all human beings, no matter how suffocated they are by the culture of silence, is still able to look at the world through critical eyes and engage in dialogical encounters with other people. To a certain extent this, will be dependent on having the necessary tools for the encounter, but there is still the necessity of looking at the personal and social reality along with the abundant contradictions within it, becomes aware of one's own viewpoints of that reality and dealing critically with it. Through this journey one has the ability to transcend the teacher-student rapport of traditional forms of education. "People educate one another through the mediation of the world" (1974). The brilliance of this sentiment is displayed in the fact that Freire believes that even the most oppressive environment offers a capacity for education and development if the individual wishes it. This appears to embody the idea that education and development can occur anywhere -- as long as the individual wishes it. A real life example of this phenomenon would be Robben's Island, the political prison in South Africa where Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners were forced to live when they were unjustly imprisoned. So many of the prisoners there explained how their time on that island was an educational experience, and how many of the older prisoners would educate the younger ones and how they all developed their more nuanced education of the world at large and the unjust political forces which kept them imprisoned. This is a shining example of the sheer manifestation of what Freire had proposed. Imprisonment or an un-ideal learning environment, such as one where people are shackled and their liberation is seized, still means that learning can occur and that growth and development can take place. So much depends on the individual and the desire to learn and develop. Robben's Island was probably the fundamental symbol of a place where the culture of silence was manifested daily: even so, the majority of the political prisoners there were able to survive and thrive.

Remarkably, one of the more novel thoughts that Freire has regarding the distinct relationship between the oppressor and the oppressed is that the one who is oppressed, who appears to have the lack of power, is actually the one who can be responsible for the entire development and evolution of both himself and the oppressor. This demonstrates an aspect of the innovation of Friere's thought process and philosophy. The shackles of the oppressor-oppressed relationship still offers the potential for growth and development, and the most marginalized party (the oppressed) can be the one responsible for this growth. "Although oppression dehumanizes both parties and stifles their humanity, the oppressed has to lead the struggle for a fuller humanity for both. The oppressor, who is himself dehumanized because he dehumanizes others, tries to hang onto his power and dehumanizing practices" (1974). This demonstrates that the process is not simple and flawless: there are still obstacles that need to be overcome during its evolution, but the annihilation of those obstacles can still lead to the betterment of all involved. The oppressor wants to hang on to his destructive tendencies, but the oppressed is the one who has the power and the relationship to lead him from this. "When the oppressed seek to regain and deepen their humanity, they must not in turn oppress the oppressors, but rather help to restore the humanity of both" (1974). This is truly a remarkable sentiment as it describes the deep potential for development of each member of this dynamic along with the temptations to hurt or wound one another.