Journal of Transformative Praxis

Journal of Transformative Praxis, Volume 6, Issue 1, June 2025, 1-10, https://doi.org/10.51474/jrtp/17515

Publication date: Jun 30, 2025

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This editorial explores the ethics of first philosophy, examining its transformative implications for educational praxis in contemporary learning communities. Drawing on phenomenological traditions and critical pedagogy, we argue that positioning ethics as the foundational philosophical stance fundamentally reconceptualizes the relationship between the self and the Other in transformative learning contexts. This reconceptualization challenges traditional ontological and epistemological frameworks that have historically privileged being over ethical responsibility. Through a critical examination of community-oriented pedagogical approaches, we demonstrate how the primacy of ethics transforms educational encounters into spaces of infinite responsibility toward the Other. Also, the editorial analyzes the processes of 'Othering' and their implications for inclusive educational practices, proposing that transformative learning emerges when educators and learners embrace their fundamental ethical obligation to foster authentic human relationships. We contest community-based educational approaches, when grounded in ethics as first philosophy, create possibilities for transformation that excel individual learning toward collective greater good. The editorial lays the groundwork for further exploration by articulating a vision of transformative praxis that prioritizes ethical responsibility as the foundation of meaningful educational change, addressing practical implications for educators, policymakers, and community leaders committed to fostering just and inclusive learning environments. The editorial concludes by offering a synopsis of the articles featured in Volume 6, Issue 1.

Ethics First Philosophy Transformative Learning Praxis Community Education Othering Phenomenology

1. Benade, L. (2015). Bits, bytes and dinosaurs: Using Levinas and Freire to address the concept of 'twenty-first century learning'. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 47(9), 935-948. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131857.2015.1035159
2. Conti, L. (2025). Intercultural education: Recalibrating meanings, objectives, and practices. Intercultural Education, 36(4), 418-436. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2025.2484514
3. Crowell, S. (2012). Why is ethics first philosophy? Levinas in phenomenological context. European Journal of Philosophy, 23(3), 564-588. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0378.2012.00550.x
4. Dahal, N., & Luitel, B. C. (2022). Understanding and encountering the ethics of self and others in autoethnography: Challenging the extant and exploring possibilities. The Qualitative Report, 27(12), 2671-2685. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2022.5572
5. Kretchmar, R. S. (1993). Philosophy of ethics. Quest, 45(1), 3–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/00336297.1993.10484066
6. Levinas, E. (1989). Ethics as first philosophy (S. Hand & M. Temple, Trans.). In S. Hand (Ed.), The Levinas reader (75-87). Blackwell.
7. Liu, K. (2025). Critical reflection for transformative praxis in decolonizing language teacher education: Toward ontoepistemic freedom and pluralism. The Modern Language Journal, 109(1), 123-142. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.13018
8. Luitel, B. C., & Dahal, N. (2020). Conceptualising transformative praxis. Journal of Transformative Praxis, 1(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.3126/jrtp.v1i1.31756
9. Mezirow, J. (1991). Transformative dimensions of adult learning. Jossey-Bass.
10. Mpuangnan, K. N., & Ntombela, S. (2024). Community voices in curriculum development. Curriculum Perspectives, 44(1), 49-60. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41297-023-00223-w
11. Ncube, C. N., & Tawanda, T. (2025). Critical digital pedagogy for contemporary transformative practices in the Global South: a literature review. Cogent Education, 12(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2523133
12. Peperzak, A. T. (1995). Ethics as first philosophy: The significance of Emmanuel Levinas for philosophy, literature and religion. Routledge.
13. Sahoo, S. (2025). Critical pedagogy empowers students through transformative education. Journal Publication of International Research for Multidisciplinary, 5(6), 1–11.
14. Stetsenko, A. (2023). Marxism in an activist key: Educational implications of an activist-transformative philosophy. In R. Hall, I. Accioly, & K. Szadkowski (Eds.), The Palgrave international handbook of Marxism and education (pp. 581–599). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-37252-0_30
15. Wittmayer, J. M., Huang, Y.-S., Bogner, K., Boyle, E., Hölscher, K., von Wirth, T., Boumans, T., Garst, J., Hendlin, Y. H., Lavanga, M., Loorbach, D., Mungekar, N., Tshangela, M., Vandekerckhove, P., & Vasques, A. (2024). Neither right nor wrong? Ethics of collaboration in transformative research for sustainable futures. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 11, Article 677. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03178-z
16. Wood, L., & Zuber-Skerritt, O. (2022). Community-based research in higher education: Research partnerships for the common good. In L. Wood (Ed.), Community-based research with vulnerable populations (pp. 1–18). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-86402-6_1
17. Wyschogrod, E. (1999). Ethics as first philosophy: Levinas reads Spinoza. The Eighteenth Century, 40(3), 195–205. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41468191

We confirm that we have used the Grammarly Edu version to refine and polish the language. At the same time, the Grammarly Edu version does not influence this editorial; instead, it is grounded in our cognitive and evaluative abilities. We have approved it for publication.

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