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FIG. 11 GREEK AGORA
Final report - project MOVE 2017-2018
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3. Theoretical framework
3.1 The Agora model
Where is humankind?
The Agora model is a Bildungsmodel, used to “prepare youngsters for a world that is not yet there“1 . The Dutch philosopher Rene Gude in collaboration with the Dutch sociologist Gerard van Stralen, the German philosopher Peter Sloterdijk and the Dutch philosopher Erno Eskens developed it. It takes a practical stand on the fundamental question “were is humankind”? Which was also the main question of Peter Sloterdijk’s Magnum Opus ‘Spheres’ wherein he studied the way people live and interact with each other concluding that people are sphere builders, from a micro scale to a macro scale. Gude built further on this main work of Sloterdijk, developed it into a practical model looking at the buildings in our world, and learned that there are only eight of them. The same buildings come back in any place at any time and gives us a perfect starting point to develop our youngsters into all-round, engaged citizens.
Understanding the Agora model: a thought experiment
Imagine you are in old Greece and you are standing in the middle of the old marketplace, the agora. It can also be the central square in Turin, Lisbon, or Den Bosch or any other city. It is busy in the square. Around you, there are walking businessmen, clergy, tradesmen, people who are shopping, and also you see a whole lot of different kinds of buildings. You don’t know anybody and have no idea where to go. You feel like a little child in the big city. How can you find your way quickly in this new city? How do you prevent yourself from doing stupid things and how do you build enough character and personality to manage yourself on this square?
The art is to reduce the amount of buildings around you. Then maybe the world around you looks less complex. Try to reduce the buildings around you to their primary function. Then you will see there are only four kinds of buildings where you can live in: these are private houses (where you live in with your family or the private sphere), companies and shops (commercial buildings or commercial sphere), public buildings (libraries and hospitals for example or public sphere) and political buildings (town hall, parliament or political sphere). Within these four spheres, you can play four different kind of roles. You can be the family man, the entrepreneur/employee, an engaged citizen or a political role.
Fig. 11 Greek Agora
1 G. Stralen, R. Gude: En denken: Bildung voor leraren, (2012 Leusden).
