Searching for Worlds Worth Living in

Abstract

AbstractThe idea of living well, the ‘good’ life, and the type of world that allows all lifeforms to thrive is not new. Its outlines are visible in many Indigenous knowledges. In the Western tradition, its roots stretch back beyond Aristotle in ancient Greece. This chapter presents the book at hand as a listening project. Through the 13 chapters of the book, we invite the reader to pause, ponder, identify and interpret what ‘living well’ or a ‘world worth living in’ means in different contexts and for different groups of people, and how the meaning changes depending on where one stands. Hearing from knowledge holders standing in different positions in the world, our knowledge gets richer. As we listen deeply to all the chapters of the book, we can hear clearly the language of criticism: how educational practices are currently stopping us from living well; and how educational practices are creating a world of inequity and unmet needs. But we can also hear the language of hope: how education is helping us to live well and to live well together—both today and in the future; and how education is supporting us, together, to create a world, day by day and practice by practice, that is worth living in for all.