Welcome

Welcome to this archive of John Huckle’s publications.  These outline critical approaches to geographical and environmental education developed over five decades. Please use the contact form if you have comments or wish to get in touch.

Latest addition John is currently writing an ebook on critical realism, the philosophy of knowledge he introduced in Critical School Geography. Critical realism is particularly suited to the teaching of geography as it unites the natural and social sciences, explains nature, place and space in terms of underlying structures and mechanisms, prompts critical theories of social change, and supports forms of global citizenship based on universal ethics. All of the planned five chapters can be downloaded from the critical realism page and an introduction / preface will also feature here before the completed ebook is published.

Here is an overview of chapter five that considers the philosophy of meta-Reality and its applications in school geography:

Bhaskar’s later work on critical realism took a spiritual turn, focussing on the ontology of persons and suggesting that we have a ground state of unity, love and spontaneous right action that connects us to all other beings. His philosophy of meta-Reality suggests that we are currently cut off or ‘split’ from this ground state by the alienation, illusions, and disempowerment caused by current social structures. Reconnecting to our ground state and thereby realising a higher moral state of being (non-duality), is key to developing empathy and solidarity with others, the re-enchantment of the world, the realisation of radical global citizenship, and social emancipation. School geography can aid the development of non-dual beings in ways that this chapter outlines.