The sacred and the profane in education: strategies for the survival of pedagogical ethos in the AI era
https://doi.org/10.20913/2224-1841-2026-2-8
Abstract
Introduction. The article, from the perspective of social philosophy, analyzes the anthropological foundations of the traditional education model, challenged by the introduction of artificial intelligence into the modern educational space. Based on the classical dichotomy of the «sacred» and the «profane» (É. Durkheim, M. Eliade), education is considered as a ritual of initiation, where the teacher-mediator guides the student from fragmentary knowledge to systemic understanding.
Purpose setting. The key to identifying the deep-seated causes of the crisis in education was the analysis of the current state of the pedagogical ethos, conditioned by the desacralization of knowledge and the authority of the teacher in the digital age, as well as the development of specific strategies for restoring the sacred status of education.
Methodology and methods of the study. Conceptual analysis, supplemented by theories of simulacra (J. Baudrillard) and instrumental reason (J. Habermas), allows us to reveal the essence of the crisis: AI, by monopolizing access to information and simulating educational rituals (e.g., writing papers), desacralizes knowledge and profanes the role of the teacher to that of a controller of formal procedures.
Results. As a result of the research, three strategies for renewing the pedagogical ethos are proposed: 1) transformation of the teacher's role into that of a «discourse master,» focusing on meaningmaking through dialogue (M. Bakhtin, H.‑G. Gadamer) and problem-based learning; 2) re-sacralization of cognition by emphasizing personal intellectual effort and project-based activity within the framework of constructivism (J. Piaget, L. Vygotsky); 3) de-sacralization of AI, treating it as a tool for developing critical thinking (B. Latour, M. Heidegger).
Conclusion. The challenge posed by AI creates a historic opportunity to return education to its original meaning as a path of personal transformation through dialogue and intellectual effort within a new digital ecosystem.
Keywords
education,
artificial intelligence,
sacred,
profane,
pedagogical ethos,
crisis,
dialogue,
simulacrum,
initiation
About the Author
M. P. Romanov
Krasnoyarsk State Agrarian University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Marat P. Romanov – master, specialization in History, Assistant
90 Mira Ave., Krasnoyarsk, 660049
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Review
For citations:
Romanov M.P. The sacred and the profane in education: strategies for the survival of pedagogical ethos in the AI era. Professional education in the modern world. 2026;16(2):241-248. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.20913/2224-1841-2026-2-8
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