Huxleyan utopia or Huxleyan dystopia? "Scientific humanism", Faure's legacy and the ascendancy of neuroliberalism in education.

In addition to the longstanding threat posed by narrow economism, faith in the possibility of peace and progress through democratic politics - central to the humanistic vision of the 1972 Faure report - today faces additional challenges. These challenges include the ascendancy of neurocentrism in the global policyscape. Whereas the effects of neoliberalism on education have been extensively critiqued, the implications of a newer, related ideological framework known as liberalism remain under-theorised.

The International Science and Evidence-based Education Assessment.

Education is indispensable for the flourishing of people from all backgrounds and stages of life. However, given the accelerating demographic, environmental, economical, socio-political, and technological changes—and their associated risks and opportunities—there is increasing consensus that our current educational systems are falling short and that we need to repurpose education and rethink the organization of learning to meet the challenges of the 21st century. The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) “Futures of Education” initiative was formally launched at the United Nations General Assembly in 2019 to provide such a vision of education for the future.

Salivary arecoline levels during areca nut chewing in human volunteers.

Background: Arecoline stimulates cultured cells above 0.1 microg/ml and is cytotoxic above 10 microg/ml. Although this alkaloid seems important for areca nut induced oral carcinogenesis, little is known of the levels achieved during chewing.