Abstract
In this special issue authors from four different countries advance the discussion related to theoretical and empirical knowledge on how religions, worldviews and spirituality have contributed and continue to contribute to conceptions of giftedness and high abilities. In my own country Finland, and in many other countries all over the world, the goal of education is to support the development of the whole person, rather than merely the cognitive domain. This kind of education acknowledges the importance of social and affective domains in students’ development, including their spiritual and religious concerns. Religious and humanistic worldviews have also shaped our history and cultures and continue to provide wisdom in understanding the possibilities and limits of human mind.
In this issue two papers explore the Christian influence on our understanding of intelligence and giftedness. Risto Saarinen from Finland presents the period from 1500 to 1800 as Christian excellence in history where gifted people were often seen as heroic saints and later replaced with the idea of an educated expert in the modern period. Adrian-Mario Gellel and Rosienne Camilleri from Malta explore the Christian influence on the conceptions of intelligence and giftedness from the Catholic worldview. In their paper “Cultivating intellectual abilities and talents: The ‘forgotten’ Catholic contribution” the connections between Catholic values and the conceptions of giftedness are analyzed. The empirical paper “Equitable Identification of Gifted Students with the Relationship of Religiosity and Ethical Sensitivity Level of Teachers” by Hyeseong Lee, Ann O’Brien, and Martha Wilkins from the US studies pre- and in-service teachers who attended one Catholic university located in the Midwest, U.S. Based on the data collected, they aimed to understand whether teachers’ religiosity and ethical sensitivity level are associated with their fair and open identification for gifted students. Terry Lovat from Australia discusses the worldview of Islam in his paper “Gifted Education and Islamic Educational Philosophy: A Neat Convergence”. His paper provides knowledge of distinctive features of both ancient and modern Islamic education that germane to contemporary perspectives on gifted education.
Humanistic worldview has inspired many talented people and the emphasis on human potential provides fruitful grounds for gifted education. In his paper “Giftedness, Ethics and Humanism” Sami Pihlström from Finland examines giftedness and gifted education from the point of view of humanistic ethical critique. He argues that developing an appropriate stance toward whatever gifts and talents individuals may have, is a matter of continuous ethical self-reflection that needs to be incorporated in gifted education. In my own article “Spirituality and Giftedness” I reflect the different meanings gifted students give to religion and spirituality and present empirical research findings on the importance of spirituality for the young generation and gifted students with their desire to contemplate and look for mystery in life in addition to scientific knowledge.
This special issue spreads light on the contributions of two world religions, Christianity, and Islam to conceptions on giftedness. Moreover, the influence of non-religious worldviews, for example, humanism and spirituality are explored as approaches that have the potential to advance the development of human abilities and support holistic and ethical development of the gifted and talented. We need more theoretical and empirical studies on different religions and worldviews and their impact on giftedness and talents. Religions and worldviews provide frameworks for human beings to understand and reflect the most important questions in life: Who am I? What is the purpose of my life? Where do I belong? How can I contribute to this world with my gifts and talents? Gifted students all over the world need teachers who have knowledge of different religions and worldviews and who can guide their students to study the wisdom in these traditions.
