Holistique movement
The Holisitique movement (from Gaullican: "Holistic") is an Educational system and philosophy which seeks to make accessible a strong education and development ordered towards the perfecting of the whole human person. It advocates a form of liberal education, emphasising that humans are only made truly free through faith in God, the pursuit of speculative knowledge, the freedom from vice through virtue, and healthy and prudent living. It derives much of its intellectual inspiration from Scholasticism and medieval education, while also at the same time taking inspiration from Estmerish Muscular Sotirianity. It is a fundamentally Solarian Catholic movement, although it did inspire other similar movements in other religious groups. It is notably characterised by a rejection of research-based and practical institutions as the primary educational model in favour of schools ordered towards the human person.
The movement was founded shortly after the end of the Capois Rebellion by Charles Saint-Pierre, a Chloéois of Bahian descent, and Archbishop Jean-Baptiste d'Aste, the Archbishop of Port de la Sainte. The first goal of the movement began as a means to educate free blacks in Sainte-Chloé, sponsored and funded by the resources of the Catholic Church on the island. The Church saw the opportunity as a chance for education and evangelisation, while the colonial administration thought it would allow for better integration of the free blacks into a Gaullican society. It quickly spread and grew across the whole island, also spreading schools to poorer white communities on the islands. It caused the growth and development of educational institutions of all levels, and eventually came to dominate most of the schools on the island. It also had an impact on many of the schools across the Viceroyalty of the New Aurean, of which Sainte-Chloé was the chief island. The movement was also important for establishing or popularising certain sports, such as baseball and Arucian football. The rise of functionalism caused a division in the movement known as Holistique National, which lead to some accusations of the movement's association with the ideology. Many of the schools in the Sainte-Chloé still claim to follow the educational philosophy of the movement.
However, the movement has faced criticism on various different accounts. Opponents of the education have criticised it for indoctrinating and for using outdated methodology, for "whitewashing" the island's Bahian population, or for being functionalist in nature. Supporters of the education have denied said claims, and uphold that it had a fundamentally good outcome on the country as a whole which brought education to all Chloéois. The movement continues to have great influence in the country of Sainte-Chloé, and continues to the dominant and prevailing form of education.
History
Founding
Following the abolition of slavery in 1830, the Viceroyalty of the New Aurean had undergone significant changes, migrating away from a slavery-based plantation economy. However, the poorer classes still remained largely uneducated, and while the wealthy had the ability to educate their children and the University of Sainte-Chloé provided higher education under the auspices of the Church. Born as a slave, Charles Saint-Pierre's family moved to Port de la Sainte following the abolition of slavery. He was able to receive an education from his local Catholic parish, assisting there and being taken under the wing of the Roderican Friars which ran it. Successful at his studies, he was sponsored to go through the University of Sainte-Chloé at age 17, and was able to become a Professor of Philosophy at Sacred Heart College by 1853. Having seen how being educated had allowed him to achieve his current position, began to think about ways to expand education and learning across the island, in particular to the free black communities which did not have much education.
In 1866, in the aftermath of the New Aurean Reforms following the Capois Rebellion, Saint-Pierre approached Jean-Baptiste d'Aste, the recently appointed Archbishop of Port de la Sainte and Primate of the Arucian, with his ideas for expanding education to the free black communities across the island. d'Aste was immediately enthusiastic about the project as good for evangelisation, and quickly began to work with Saint-Pierre on devising a strategy for education. Working together with the Archbishop of Tranquille, they began to plan and to build new schools connected with parishes in Bahian communities in Pays du Sucre and in the city of Port de la Sainte, and began to enlist help from religious orders to run the schools. The early schools were rudimentary, designed as day schools for the students to study catechism and to learn to read and write in Gaullican and Solarian, eventually to expand to match the full curriculum which Saint-Pierre had designed. With the funding of the church and through the work of religious orders, the schools were largely able to be free of charge. Seeing the schools as means of "Gaullicanising" the community, the colonial administration allowed the church to have great oversight over the matter.
Growth
With the success of the first schools, the schools began to grow in scope and size. d'Aste invited teaching orders from Euclea to come and establish religious communities on the island. Schools began to become large enough to teach the full curriculum which Saint-Pierre had envisioned, with École (primary) and Collège (secondary) creating a new generation of educated individuals. Religious sisters ran schools for girls, while brothers and priests ran ones for boys. Many of these were encouraged to enter into the religious orders which taught the schools; the new influx of priests and religious in turn increased the number of available teachers for future generations. More and more schools began to increase, leading to the eventual foundation of new universities as the main University was unable to keep up with the expanding need for teritary education.
Seeing the effect of the free schools and the new competition for tertiary education, the wealthy began to found boarding schools and private schools, largely following the same general model, but usually having other aspects to set them apart. Free schools run in the Holisitique method began to spread into the poorer white communities which lacked formal schooling opportunities, and from there into Gowsa communities. Seeing the effectiveness of the education, the colonial administration agreed to help contribute fund Holsitique schools, although the administration of the schools remained in control of the Church and the religious orders which ran it. Saint-Pierre became appointed as Vice-Chancellor of the University, and it became the leading school of the Holisitique movement. Holisitique model schools spread to all parts of the Viceroyalty, but were dominant within the Theme of Sainte-Chloé. The departure of the eastern islands to form the Viceroyalty of the Emerald Isles in 1885 limited the influence of the movement on those islands.
Side effects from the growth in education included a growth of literacy, but also the diminishing of languages such as Chloéois Creole in favour of standardised Gaullican. Religious syncretism and heterodoxy was heavily discouraged, and practices were severely curtailed. Instances of corporal punishment occurred, though more rarely than schools in other countries due to a cultural distaste for corporal punishment, instead relying more heavily on impositions and confinements as means of discipline.
Division
Following the death of Saint-Pierre in 1909, leadership and oversight of the movement fell to then-Cardinal d'Aste. He remained the leader of the movement until his death in 1919. By then, his successor, Joseph Père, was a self-proclaimed firm supporter of d'Aste and Saint-Pierre's vision, took over the position as the spiritual leader of the movement, which had the effect of making the promoter of the movement the Archbishop of Port de la Sainte the leader of the group. Early in his tenure as Archbishop, the rise of Functionalism in Gaullica influenced the political landscape in the Viceroyalty. Archbishop Père opposed Functionalism, but not openly, instead operating covertly and refraining from engaging in the political disputes on the island.
However, some within the Holisitique schools began advocating for the schools to adopt functionalist ideology as part of the curriculum. Among these, the foremost was Claude Jarrets, who had also been a proponent of "modernising" the curriculum to match more closely with developments in sociological science. They advocated that in fact the whole purpose of the Holisitique education had been to bring the Bahian population to take up a "Gaullican identity", and that everything it had ought to be considered through lens of the nationalism which was promoted by Trintignant. When hearing about this, Archbishop Père condemned Jarrets and all those who subscribed to his teaching, while being careful to note that it was not a concern with functionalism, instead insisting that it "strayed from mission of the movement and from the principles of the church". Any school which followed Jarrets' policy would in turn be barred from being called "Catholic" or from having Church sponsorship or funding.
Because of the condemnation, in 1922 Jarrets and his supporters created the "Holistique National" movement and formally split from the regular movement. They became state schools, instead operated by the Viceroyalty and under the modified curriculum proposed by Jarrets. Although they formed only a minority of schools across the islands, the people who went to these schools had social advantages under the functionalist society. These schools continued to operate throughout the course of the Great War, before in the aftermath they became public schools.
Later History
Following the Great War, the Viceroyalty was incorporated into the new Aurcian Federation, with Grand Alliance troops overseeing the occupation of the islands. ThHolisitique National schools were closed and reorganised due to their association with functionalism, but most of the other schools were able to keep operating. As military occupation began to diminish over time, more power became invested in Pierre Voloix, who did not like the Holisitique movement because of the church's influence rather than a state influence controlled by him. Due to the size and scale of the schools spread throughout the country, Voloix could take no firm action against them without greatly upsetting the state in the country and alienating the whole populace. Instead he took the former Holisitique National schools and reorganised them into secular public schools, hoping that through their influence and modern pedagogy he could eclipse the old Holistique movement.
Outside of the three island regions of Sainte-Chloé the movement largely faded into obscurity or was replaced. On mainland Sainte-Chloé, the Holistique schools lost government funding, and some declined and were unable to support themselves. Other schools, still owned by the church, began to modernise their education, especially some institutions owned by the Jesuits. Nevertheless, the schools persisted throughout the Arucian Federation and United Provinces, into the independent Sainte-Chloé as the predominant form of education, serving as the general model which inspired the new public schools under the inspiration Catholic Labour Party, although with some differences.
Leadership of the movement has rested with the Archbishops of Port de la Sainte, the current one being Louis Cardinal Merloix. There have been gradual changes over time, and some schools have the left the method to pursue others but the core educational philosophy has remained largely the same. The Solarian Catholic Church or affiliated religious orders still operate approximately 85% of schools across the country, and of these, roughly three-quarters still follow the Holistique, thus comprising about 60% of schools throughout the country (although these have a larger percentage of students than other institutions as well). The remaining 40% are a combination of schools akin to other pedagogical methods, including curricula under with modern division of the sciences, updated or changed versions of Holisitique, vocational schools, specialist schools, international schools, and private research institutions. This has led to a situation where debates over the benefits of methods is a frequent point of discussion throughout the country, mostly taking educational inspiration from the system of other countries as a point of contrast. However, Holisitique still has popularity within the country itself, and has strong internal support, especially from those who have studied under the system.
Educational Principles and Methodology
The core element of Holisitique is that its education is 'holistic' or universal- that is not geared towards a particular trade or field of research, but instead forms the whole human person. The education is called liberal, because it "frees" the human person to be able to think what is true and to choose what is good, and correspondingly shuns things which are seen as "servile" to the human person, such as vice and ignorance. It draws its intellectual thought heavily from Scholasticism, particularly Thomism, with Thomas Aquinas being seen as the principal patron saint of the movement, and who greatly inspired the thinking of Saint-Pierre and the other founders of the movement. Saint-Pierre's book Éducation Holistique Libérale Catholique, published in 1866, serves as the guiding document for the movement.
Faith
Although the philosophy and curriculum are seen as very important to the movement, above all else the Solarian Catholic Faith is the cornerstone. Sainte-Pierre and d'Aste saw the education as a means of evangelisation, something more important than any other practical effect. "Our Lord has laid out a sacred command", wrote Saint-Pierre in a letter to an educator, "that we 'go therefore and teach all nations', and bring all to Christ. This is the most important part of our mission as Sotirians: while all wisdom leads to God, any human wisdom which does not produce conversion of heart is ultimately worthless." Because of the importance it plays in the education, it is incorporated in both study and action through the education.
From an early age, all students ought to study their Catechism. Although it is incumbent on the parents to be the primary teachers of the faith, the schools ought to reinforce, strengthen and correct the student's learning. Once the student has mastered the basics, he may proceed on to more difficult or challenging matters of the faith, and learns more about what the great fathers and doctors of the church have taught, and to eventually read through the entire scriptures. With the groundwork laid from the other sciences and philosophy, the students may finally progress onto the study of speculative theology. Through the religious education, it was also hoped that heterodox syncretic beliefs may be lessened and eventually removed, and so became a focus of the early education.
In addition to religious study, religious practice is also seen as necessary for growth. Regular exposure to and reception of the Sacraments, especially Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and Reconciliation, are the basis of Sotirian living, because they are visible signs of the diposing of God's grace. Other prayers, such as the Rosary, Eucharistic adoration and the Stations of the Cross, are used as means of deepening the faith of the students involved in the education. Boys are encouraged to become altar servers, while all are encouraged to join choirs or to assist in other manners. It is hoped that through a deep and lively habituation in the religious life, they will be more prepared for walking on the path of life of faith.
Philosophy
Holisitique distinguishes between two principal kinds of "science" or knowledge: speculative, or knowledge which is worth knowing for its own sake and thus what frees the person, and practical, that which is worth knowing for the sake of another end. Speculative science is knowledge of universals which are eternally true and must always be so and gives one an understanding, such as metaphysics, but also including the various branches natural philosophy and mathematics. Speculative philosophy is seen as the highest form of wisdom available to mankind through the power of human reason alone, with ultimately revealed theology completing what human reason cannot achieve. Practical sciences, such as medicine and engineering, are ordered not towards eternal truths but instead to some particular effect, such as health or construction. These, while seen as important to society and necessary, are seen as not conducive for the flourishing human person.
There is some middle ground between practical and speculative sciences, of arts which give on speculative knowledge but also have a practical effect insofar as they order the reason to be able to think about the higher things. These are the liberal arts, of which there are seven: the Trivium, logic, grammar and rhetoric, and the Quadrivium, arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy. The science of ethics and politics are practical philosophies insofar as they pertain to human action but also do allow for speculative understanding of human action.
Because of these philosophical principles, the movement rejects several historical and then-contemporary trends in education. It rejects the idea of the "humanities" on two grounds: firstly, in its opposition of philosophy and theology to science, and secondly, its reduction of philosophy to "historicization" and merely studying what people have said versus thinking and wrestling with the truth of the ideas themselves. While there was room for history in education, its usage should be secondary and ultimately ancillary to the higher studies. In addition, it also rejects academic specialization at too early an age, instead insisting that everyone must master the liberal arts before being allowed to pursue a practical science. It also heavily discourages the predominance of research in the academic setting, and while admitting that there is need for research institutions to exist, that it must be secondary to developing the ability to think and to reason.
Curriculum
The curriculum of the movement was inspired heavily by the medieval scholastic education, although with changes to accommodate it on a larger scale. The goal of the curriculum is to give everyone a common background and beginnings in the intellectual life, from whence they may advance on to more specialised substances in the very later stages. Besides for certain courses in Collège, there are few electives; the education is meant to be general and universal. Following École, textual analysis and discussion of ideas is emphasised and made important- the works of the authors themselves are seen as far more profitable to study than textbooks.
Notable about the curriculum is the teaching of both the Gaullican and Solarian language, of which Gaullican is the chief means of teaching and of reading for many courses. Fairly unique to most Solarian programs students proficient in being able to not only read and translate, but to speak and write in the language as well. It also has the secondary effect of allowing the student to read many Solarian texts in the original language, which becomes expected in many higher level courses.
| Level | Name | Duration | Curriculum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preschool | Maternelle | 3 years | Begins at 3 years old, although this can be shortened. Fundamentals of reading, writing, basic mathematics, simple religious education, and other early learning. |
| Primary education | École (School) | 6 years | Generally begins at about age 6.Students begin more structured classes, which focus on a variety of topics. Students learn arithmetic, geometry, and grammar (through means of both Gaullican and Solarian), as well as basic history, physical education, and ventures into fine arts. Religious studies at this point consist of basic Catechism and preparation for reception of the Sacraments of Eucharist and Confirmation. |
| Secondary education | Collège (College) | 7 years | Generally occurs between the ages 12 and 19. More advanced pursuits, of harder difficulty. Students learn music, astronomy, rhetoric (both Gaullican and Solarian) and logic, and begin to hone the practices from École as well as reinforce them. All students must fulfill some requirement of physical education, history, fine arts, but as the studies become more rigorous, these activities tend to become relegated to extracurricular activities. Most laboratory studies are also done during this period. |
| Tertiary education | Licence (Bachelor's degree) | 3 years | The Licence curriculum is all unified in a liberal arts degree, with no electives present. History and physical education are no longer classes. Study now focuses intensely on the texts and works of the greatest thinkers of the Western tradition, with a combination of textual discussions, supplemented by lectures, formal debates and disputations. |
| Maîtrise (Master's degree) | 2 years | If one wishes to puruse any higher studies in Theology or Philosophy, they continue with a Maîtrise also in Liberal Arts. However, for those wishing to specialise into law, medicine or another practical field, they may begin to specialise once they have attained their Licence degree. | |
| Dotorat (Doctorate) | 3-6 years | The highest degree, with more degrees of specialisation than the other degrees. Of these, the ones in Theology and Philosophy hold the highest precedence; all must complete a Thèse before obtaining the degree. |
Methodology
The methodology of the movement relies on forms of both active and passive learning, although it has a clear preference for active learning, with passive forms usually being used for lower levels or as supplementations. The education realises that divers means are needed for different kinds of classes and ages, and leaves up to prudence the exactitude of the methods used in education. Fundamentally, however, the movement upholds that all students should learn how to think and develop their reason to the fullest use, something which requires the students to engage with the ideas which the material presents. Results or grading statistics are generally seen as less important than the attitude and understanding of the student. Below is the general outlined described by Saint-Pierre and carried on by the movement.
In early education, hands-on experience is seen as a necessary development, as well as memorisation. Although memorisation is seen as inferior in later stages, it is seen as an important foundation for the young. A combination of disciplined activities as well as chances for guided independent study (to engage the natural curiosity of students at the young age) are both incorporated into early education. As the student progresses, the difficulty of the material does, as well as the degree of structure involved. Although the course-work becomes more structured, however, the students are expected to do much of the study independently. Students are expected to read and prepare the reading or problems prior to class, to be ready and engaged for a critical discussion about the text or other material. Failure to prepare is seen not only as a failure on the student, but as being detrimental to the whole class, and thus results in lower marks for the student.
As the students become more and more advanced and as they become habituated, they become trusted more to lead and guide the conversations and lessons themselves under the oversight of the teacher. More classes become increasingly discussion-based, as a common discussion is seen as necessary for the students to engage their reason and defend and draw out the ideas of what the text is saying and to perfect and refine their own understanding. Being able to ask important questions, keep focused on points without going on tangents, and the ability to cohesively discuss something for a common end, are all very important to the methodology. For those who are not speakers, other methods such as written assessments can gauge their understanding and grasp of the material present. Students are encouraged to carry on conversations about the works outside of the class, as this is seen as part of the best way to foster and develop the intellectual life in the minds of the students.
While this is true of most subjects, the degree to which discussion is used varies in each subject. In mathematics, demonstations of propositions or theorems must be prepared by students, from whence questions can be asked and the propositions discussed by the whole of the class. History tends towards lecture more than other classes, and the natural sciences utilise laboratory or visual experience to aide in the classroom. However, lectures are generally avoided in other subjects except as supplementary in order to aid a general understanding, and hopefully with time after the lecture for questions to be addressed by the listeners. Another popular method at higher levels is the method of "disputation", where students and faculty may put forward confusions, perplexities and difficulties a certain teacher or group of teachers to discuss and answer.
Arts and Athletics
Although the spiritual and intellectual education was always seen as the primary aspect that Holistique would focus on, Saint-Pierre also held that other activities were beneficial for the development of the human person, most potently the fine arts and athletics. Although these included in early education (with speculative study in music continuing later) through means of introductory art classes or physical education, they are seen as important for recreational activity outside of the curriculum.
An art, being the use of ordered reason towards things which are made, is a necessary part of human life, and both imitate and perfect upon nature. "Servile" arts, such as medicine, farming and carpentry, imitate nature in order to perfect nature, whereas "fine" arts, such as music, poetics or visual art, perfect nature so that they might imitate it. Seeing this a noble and proper desire, the pursuit of these fine arts is seen as a good activity, provided that it produces work which orders the student to beauty. Of the fine arts, music and literature take the highest place, followed by the visual arts as well. Music, seen as something which affects the passions, is taken seriously, with many students participating in choirs, instrumental ensembles, or composition; however, Holisitique discourages music which "disorders" the passions, and tends to be heavily biased towards pre-20th century music in the Euclean tradition. This bias extends towards most expression of the fine arts, which tend to be Euclo-centric and which reject things which were seen as themselves rejecting beauty.
Athletics were seen as another important way of developing the bodily physically, promoting healthy living, and as an activity where people could form camaraderie and healthy friendships with teams and individuals. Providing a form of recreation from studies, it also promoted excellence and self-perfecting through discipline which could then transfer to other virtues, just as mastery of a fine art did. Saint-Pierre was particularly attracted by baseball, a sport which arrived on the island in the 1860s from Rizealand, and the ideal sport to develop young men in the new system. Baseball became the prominent sport of Holisitique and subsequently the most popular sport on the island, although Arucian football later joined the ranks as a prominent sport used by the movement, both of which shaped the later sports culture of the island. This is seen as being equivalent to or inspired by Estmerish Musuclar Sotirianity, although others say that it developed independently or is distinct from that ideology. Over time, the number of sports has expanded to include softball (the dominant women's sport), fencing, tennis, or even pétanque.
Holistique National
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Holisitique National was a movement which broke off of the principal Holisitique movement in the 1920s due to the influence of National Functionalism which spread to the islands following the consolidation of power by Rafael Duclerque in 1920. Inspired by the writings of Field Marshal Gavorde de Trintignant, this movement sought to recontextualise all of the original aims of Holistique as being fundamental in the shaping of a "Gaullican identity" and civic nationalism which transcended race or creed. It also sought to modernise the curriculum and invest the power of the schools in the state rather than in the church. It was primarily sponsored by Claude Jarrets, a sociologist educated in Gaullica who had come to the Viceroyalty to be a teacher.
Jarrets rejected the "antiquated" philosophy which the movement perscribed to as "scholastic nonsense", stressing that the real value of the education came from culturally and linguistically "Gaullicanising" the students into the common identity and nationalism. As such, the curriculum would have to undergo radical changes to meet its proper end rather than confusing the prospective patriots into needless inquiries and pointless speculating about questions which had no practical bearing on useful and obedient citizens. For Jarrets, an agnostic, Catholicism, rather than the chief focus of the education, was rather merely a force to hold the social cohesion of the culture together than a genuine religious experience, and a tool of the state.
Jarret's ideas were firmly condemned by Archbishop Joseph Père on account of its radical departure from the key aspects of Holistique, and for making the Catholic faith a practical tool. Despite the condemnation and actions to distances themselves from Holisitique National, Jarret and his followers took over a portion of the Holisitique schools to fulfill his vision. Following the end of the Great War, Jarrets was executed and the Holisitique National movement quickly died or went underground.