‘Sivistys’ means good manners, wisdom and peace. This is what the Finnish students at Kulkuri Online School believe. Photo: Compare Fibre on Unsplash
‘Sivistys’ means good manners, wisdom and peace. This is what the Finnish students at Kulkuri Online School believe. Photo: Compare Fibre on Unsplash
In Finland, 2024 marks the year of 'sivistys', a wide-ranging concept that encompasses education, a broad base of knowledge, and much more. We ask two of Finland’s leading thinkers, Kristiina Brunila and Sixten Korkman, to elaborate.
“I think of the Finnish word sivistys as having largely the same meaning as the German bildung or the Swedish bildning,” says Sixten Korkman, a renowned economist and professor emeritus.
“’Sivistys’ means a broad knowledge of various fields, including notably humanist sciences,” says renowned economist and professor emeritus Sixten Korkman. Photo: Sixten Korkman.
“This means a broad knowledge of various fields, including notably humanist sciences, as well as some familiarity with various art forms. In Finland, one often adds the requirement of sydämen sivistys (‘education of the heart’), which refers to certain humanist values such as honesty, justice, and fairness,” says Korkman, who has held senior economist’s posts in Finland and at the OECD. He has also written several acclaimed books on economics targeted at a wide audience, most recently Talous ja humanismi (Economics and Humanism).
“The Finnish word sivistys is quite multifaceted and lacks a direct, single-word equivalent in English,” says Kristiina Brunila, a celebrated professor of social justice and equality in education at the University of Helsinki’s AGORA research centre.
“Defining sivistys precisely is challenging as it is not a singular. I understand it collectively constructed, much like knowledge itself,” says Brunila. “This concept encompasses deep and wide-ranging knowledge, extending beyond formal education to include a general awareness and interest or curiosity of the world.”
“I see the task of ‘sivistys’ beyond education in a position to offer equally the opportunity for a dignified and meaningful life,” says professor Kristiina Brunila. Photo: Kristiina Brunila.
Sivistys also signifies a culture with rich engagement in cultural, artistic, and intellectual traditions, according to Brunila. “This could imply an appreciation and understanding of literature, the arts, sciences, and philosophy. In this way, sivistys implies a deeper cultural and intellectual cultivation. It’s not just about acquiring information but developing the ability to think critically.”
In Finland and Europe, what kinds of challenges will adults need to deal with in everyday life in the 2030s and how could sivistys help them?
“Educators may find it difficult to incorporate the broad ethos of sivistys within the constraints imposed by economic imperatives, which shape educational aims, methods, outcomes, standardized testing, and policies that emphasize competition. In this context, sivistys could provide a form of resistance, empowering the courage to reject these economically driven pressures. It could encourage us to be ‘killjoys,’ unafraid to challenge the status quo when necessary, thereby defending the valuable aspects of education that are at risk,” says Brunila.
As sivistys is about being open and interested, including openness to what one does not know, according to Brunila, she also sees potential.
“I see the task of sivistys beyond education in a position to offer equally the opportunity for a dignified and meaningful life. What is valuable, what kind of knowledge and skills, or what kind of education is desirable, is an open, personal, and societal question,” says Brunila.
The Finnish education system, much lauded internationally, is facing many challenges, and some would say it’s in crisis. While the learning results of students across the board is still reasonably high in international comparisons, Finland no longer holds the lead positions it did in OECD comparisons such as PISA results a decade ago or more ago.
Several factors are responsible for the changes and there are many ways the challenges could be met.
“Since sivistys has been closely connected to education, it’s important to understand the transformations within education. The globalization of education, driven by economic imperatives, increasingly regulates our perception of education, its societal role, and the knowledge it should provide. Consequently, education has had to become more open to society and justify its existence by contributing to the production of economic benefits,” says Brunila.
“We should seriously discuss the goals, role, and significance of education if we aim for its mission to extend beyond merely producing easily manageable and adaptable citizens who do not question or resist,” she recommends.
“At its most basic level, sivistys refers to education, but it’s much more than just formal schooling. Nowadays, the discussion on education in Finland rarely focuses on sivistys itself, but rather narrowly on individual learning, competencies, skills, and abilities or know how. Sivistys has been relegated to the backdrop amid changing political ideologies and power struggles, with little interest shown in its current state, significant changes, and future societal position,” says Brunila.
According to Korkman, there are also other issues to be addressed. “The educational challenges are at least partly related to social inequality, and we need to help poor families meet their everyday challenges better than presently is the case. There are also pedagogical challenges related to phenomena such as the internet and the role of social media,” he says.
A commonly held belief is that a prosperous and healthy economy creates the basis for the welfare state and enables the Finnish ideal of equal education for all.
“The Nordic welfare state can be seen as being based on certain humanist values, closely related to sivistys. Broad and equal education also enhances the formation of understanding of citizens of the functioning of society, the importance of democracy, rule of law and human rights. Comprehensive education is a key factor both for political democracy as well as for a favourable economic development, including the capacity for innovation,” says Korkman.
“Familiarity with sciences, not least humanist sciences such as history and philosophy, helps the citizen to evaluate critically the information that he or she receives. Critical thinking is a prerequisite for democracy to work. Humanist sciences and arts also develop your capacity for empathy, giving a sense of community and solidarity. Sivistys will also enhance the formation of some basic values common to all or most citizens,” he says.
