Rethinking Education

A philosophical tour by Holma, of the University of Oulu, Finland, and colleagues, published in March 2025, argues that a shift in how we think about education itself is needed. By analysing three influential philosophical traditions — the Enlightenment, the critical theory from the Frankfurt School, and pragmatism — they map what ESD should become. Their central conclusion is that mainstream ESD too often tacks sustainability onto existing schooling without changing the deeper habits, values and social conditions that caused sustainability crises. Instead, an education that cultivates holistically sustainable habits, caring attitudes towards other beings and appreciation of interdependence would be desirable. By using schools as ‘laboratories’ for new social practices and rethinking development away from blind growth, ESD can turn into a combination of critical reflection, practical habit formation and caring, relational values, so that people not only know why sustainability matters but live it in ways that reshape institutions and outcomes. For policymakers and educators, this is a hopeful, concrete nudge: ESD should be less about adding modules and more about reshaping the social and material conditions of learning, so that sustainable ways of living become ordinary, not optional.