Soka's contribution to education

Education is a process of living, not a preparation for life.

John Dewey

The Taisho era

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Taisho era, named after the emperor of the time, or "era of great justice", was described as a golden age of education in Japan. Against the backdrop of the First World War, the rise of communism and tensions with Russia, it was a time of political transformation, when oligarchic power shifted towards democratic parties, opening the way for pragmatic pedagogical practices to accompany the social changes at work. It was through direct access to the works and texts of philosophers and pedagogues such as Natorp in Germany, a specialist in Plato, and Dewey in the United States, that teachers in the field imagined a "social pedagogy" centered on pragmatic action. The influence of this context led to the emergence of initiatives such as the Soka movement.

The Soka movement

The Soka movement was initiated by Japanese educator Tsunesaburo Makiguchi , who, inspired by the Buddhism of Nichiren, a 13th-century Zen monk, developed a pedagogical approach based on the "creation of value" (in Japanese, "soka"). This value is centered on the expression of creativity and positive involvement in society. Tsunesaburo Makiguchi founded his movement in 1930 with the ambition of a "society for value-creating education".

Soka Gakkai is based primarily on 5 principles:

• the ten states (different emotions in different situations)
• compassion
• world peace
• karma
• eternity of life.

It therefore promotes peace, culture and education as means of social transformation. The Soka movement has made many contributions to collective intelligence training and facilitation. Here are just a few of them:

• The Soka movement emphasizes the importance of open dialogue and communication in resolving conflicts and finding common solutions. It encourages inclusive dialogue practices where every voice is heard and respected, thus fostering collective intelligence.
  
  
• The movement recognizes education as a key element of collective intelligence. It establishes educational institutions focused on the integral development of the individual, encouraging the blossoming of intellectual, creative and spiritual capacities. Quality education fosters skills essential to collective intelligence, such as critical thinking, collaboration and problem-solving.
  
  
• Humanist values such as human dignity, solidarity and mutual respect are promoted. These fundamental values are essential for establishing harmonious relationships within groups and fostering balanced, collaborative collective intelligence.
  
  
• Responsible leadership is based on compassion, empathy and respect. It encourages informed decision-making, consensus-building and individual responsibility in the pursuit of common goals. Such a leadership style encourages individual participation and strengthens the collective intelligence of a group.
  
  
• Finally, the Soka movement encourages its members to become actively involved in society and to work for the common good. Through various social initiatives, such as community development projects, humanitarian actions and educational programs, the Soka movement contributes to collective intelligence facilitation by promoting active participation and collaboration between individuals.

By combining these elements, the Soka movement seeks to make a significant contribution to society by promoting dialogue, education, humanistic values, social commitment and responsible leadership. These elements are essential to creating environments conducive to collaboration, creativity and collective problem-solving.

Individual and social balance

This blend of focusing on one's own personal development in the service of one's community is a persistent Japanese idea that comes up regularly, as can be seen withIkigai. Ikigai means "worthwhile" or "joie de vivre", depending on the translation.

This alliance between individual and societal development is reminiscent of the Scandinavian approach to facilitation that seeks the common good. However, the Soka movement is distinguished by its religious inspiration, ritual practice and pursuit of a human ideal, with potential criticisms of sectarian or political aims running through the movement. In 2021, the movement boasts over 12 million members in 190 countries, half of them in Japan, and takes the form of an NGO acting for educational and pedagogical purposes worldwide.

Sources

Acep France https://www.acep-france.fr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=594&Itemid=95

Wikipedia Ikigai https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikigai

Wikipedia Tsunesaburō Makiguchi https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsunesaburō_Makiguchi

Buddhist heart. Soka gakkai movement http://buddhistheart.org/le-mouvement-soka-gakkai-et-ses-principes/

Galan, C. (2015). The Taishô era, the first golden age of "dream education" in Japan. https://scholar.googleusercontent.com/scholar?q=cache:j99KhEjpLv0J:scholar.google.com/+p%C3%A9dagogie+japon&hl=en&as_sdt=0, 5

Goubet, J. F. (2007). Le primat du pratique chez Paul Natorp. Revue germanique internationale, (6), 195-205. h ttps:// journals.openedition.org/rgi/1098

Rozier, E. (2010). John Dewey, a pedagogy of experience. La lettre de l'enfance et de l'adolescence, 80-81, 23-30. https://doi. org/10.3917/lett.080.0023

The Soka movement and its history https://www.lesreligions.fr/le-mouvement-soka-et-son-histoire/