Postmetaphysical Theology

I want to present a quote by Thomas Carlson regarding ontotheology and then reword the quote as I think it might apply to education. The quote is in reference to the Jean-Luc Marion's critique of modern metaphysical theology (Carlson, 2003): "Marion's critique of metaphysics as an 'ontotheology' will be based on his assertion that the 'God' of ontotheology amounts to a 'conceptual' idol in which some well-defined and therefore limited concept of 'God,' some predication of God's essence made present to the mind, is taken to be equivalent with God himself; such as concept and predication, which really constitute only an invisible mirror of purely human thought, blocks the fundamental sense in which the God of faith would exceed the limits of any definition, predication, essence, or presence" (60)

Modern education is limited by a similar ontological or metaphysical assumption. The epistemological argument is the same in both theology and education. Modern, or onto-education is similar to onto-theology in that it defines and limits the possibilities of education within pre-existing modern assumptions surrounding language and knowledge. The result of this is that education becomes a product to be produced by an institutional system.

My rewording of Carlson's quote: "A critique of metaphysics as an "onto-education" is based on the assertion that the foundation of onto-education amounts to a conceptual framework in which some well-defined and therefore limited concept of education, some certainty of the essential essence of education, is taken to be equivalent of all possibilities of education; such a view of education, merely a limited mirror of privileged human thought, blocks the possibilities of education to exceed existing definitions, predications, frameworks, and practice."

Carlson, T. A. (2003). Postmetaphysical theology. In Kevin J. Vanhoozer (Ed.), The Cambridge companion to postmodern theology, 58-75. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.