Corporeality and neuroscience for the overcoming of cultural dualisms

The globalization of markets and increased social complexity require a reform of educational systems to develop quality education, able to form the cosmopolitan and planetary citizen (Morin, 2010). Investing in human capital and training is a very interesting theme in European environment. The "ET 2020" shows that education should drive smart, sustainable and inclusive growth of nations. Faced with a steady increase of the complexity of a social reality more and more "liquid" (Bauman, 2002), it is necessary the encounter of scientific and humanistic knowledge, traditionally separated, to find solutions that are consistent with progress, promoting a holistic education. How do you put in the dialogue? And how can you do this in the local reality of the school? To find answers, our research team has carried out a theoretical analysis of argument on the unraveling of the educational phenomena in the concrete teaching practices in Italy, starting with the identification of variables that converge in the teaching-learning process and focusing on disciplinary curriculum separatism. The investigation began with an analysis of the philosophical and pedagogical literature, continuing with the examination of neuroscientific research, to identify the possible educational implications and the possibilities to improve the training offered. Sharing with the neuroscientist Antonio Damasio the noted "Descartes ' error", they identified the effects of Cartesian thought in education-teaching, highlighting how the modern diarchy of mind-body and mind-emotions were reversed in school activities. Our job was to examine: - opportunities for encounter and dialogue between science and philosophy, neuroscientific research offerings (Welsh, 2005; Damasio, 1995; Rizzolatti, 2006); - the separatism between "hard" disciplines, domain of rational logic and science, and "soft" disciplines, domain of corporeality and emotionality in school teaching practices; - prejudice and cultural stereotypes on the concept of "Science" (Popper, 1996); - the educational implications of neuroscience in terms of experiential learning; - the importance of corporeality and emotionality in meaningful learning. The correlation between the data showed the value of active and integrated teaching practices to ensure the holistic formation of developmental topics, and to offer the minds multiple intelligences opportunities for multidimensional learning (Gardner, 2000). In particular, it was pointed out the metacognitive and ludic approach of "serious game", in which the didactic discourse meets semiotics and hermeneutics, chanting the learning stages based on body, investigated in lived triarchy body-mind-emotions (Damasio, 2000; Welsh, 2005).