About Me

I am 67 years old and I am interested in what younger people can do to improve this world that we messed up...

I am a retired professor of philosophy at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, Brazil, where I was for 32 years and a half. I taught Theory of Knowledge, Political Philosophy and Philosophy of Education there.

I have had an abiding interest in Education: its nature, its objectives, and the best ways to promote it. I have been studying for a long time the interaction between education and technology.

I conceive education broadly as the process through which human beings become capable of defining their life project (their "dream") and of making the object of this project a reality.

I conceive technology broadly as anything, hard or soft, that human beings invent to make their life easier, more effective or more pleasant. Technology can increase man's physical strength, his locomotive ability, his sensory awareness, or his mental powers.

Of special interest for education are:

* among the soft technologies, language: especially speech and writing (including reading, naturally);

* among the hard technologies, the printing press, radio, television and, more recently, the digital computer.

It seems to me that every technology ever invented by man initially "included" only a small number of people. Even alphabetical writing, invented almost three thousand years ago, is not yet dominated by everyone in the world today, therefore "excluding" many people, especially in developing countries.

I am therefore fascinated with public reaction regarding "digital exclusion / inclusion". I have been trying to understand, historically and systematically, why people seem to feel so strongly, in this particular case, that market forces will not be capable of providing "digital inclusion" and that, therefore, government initiatives and concerted effort by NGOs are needed in this case.

On a personal note, I am married, have four children and seven grandchildren.

• My Interests
  Digital Divide, Educational Technology, Learning

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• Countries I've visited
  Argentina      Australia      Austria      Barbados      Bermuda      Brazil      Canada      Chile      China      Colombia      Costa Rica      Cuba      Czech Republic      Ecuador      Finland      France      Germany      Greece      Guatemala      Hong Kong      India      Israel      Italy      Jamaica      Japan      Macau      Malaysia      Martinique      Mexico      Netherlands      Panama      Paraguay      Peru      Portugal      Puerto Rico      Singapore      South Africa      South Korea      Spain      Switzerland      Taiwan      Thailand      Trinidad & Tobago      Turkey      United States      Uruguay      Vatican City      Venezuela      Vietnam