Learning, as it is commonly understood, is acquiring new knowledge, skills, behaviour, and preferences which takes place within three different interrelated dimensions: in a cognitive, an emotional, and a behavioural dimension. Especially the term intercultural learning refers to this individual process that is particularly connected with the interaction of different cultures. Seen from a systematic pedagogical and epistemological point of view, however, learning is considered as a reflexive approach to knowledge and understanding imparted by the medium of speech. Learning involves the progress or development of the person that owns this knowledge and not primarily the modification of behaviour influenced by specific experiences: learning is based upon reason and reasoned thought and not on external causes. Therefore, by focussing on the basis of the learning process, one is forced to stick to the terms of epistemology because the law of cognition is not of natural but of logical origin. Thus, learning is an interplay between spontaneity and receptivity, between thought process (reason) and perception (sense). Both dimensions are interdependent in a fixed relation: Without perception there’s nothing to learn and without individual spontaneous thought, perception remains just mechanical absorption lacking sense. As a result, reasonable learning takes the path from sense perception to notion, insight and understanding by using reason and intellect. When it comes to the sphere of interculturalism, learning theories of systematic pedagogical or epistemological origin are hardly received due a quantitative predominance of constructivist, socio-psychological or even neuronal learning theories. As consequence of this, the current theories of intercultural pedagogy missing out the important interrelation of spontaneity and receptivity. For an in-depth comprehension of the learning process, however, epistemological aspects should be considered attentively, as intercultural learning, despite its rather posh adverbial prefix, it is foremost learning. Accordingly, intercultural learning does not mean filling in any content – like specific cultural customs– nor expedient efforts to satisfy extrinsic requests of behaviour – like in some training programs for intercultural competence. The contribution is taking logical aspects of the learning process into account to clarify the role of learning in this often used, but hardly unequivocal junction “intercultural learning”. Taking the framework given above as a point of departure, this contribution will explore the usage of the words “intercultural” and “learning” in pedagogical contexts. Focussing on philosophy of education and epistemology as two of the pedagogy/educational sciences major resources will help to enlighten the issue.

Epistemological, logical, systematic historical

Despite all disciplinary and interdisciplinary efforts that have been made to sharpen the theory of intercultural pedagogy, the issue remains profoundly unsatisfying. The aim of the paper is to explore the usage of the words intercultural and learning and their junction “intercultural learning”. The paper tries to contribute to the clarification of the educational-philosophical category learning, and the epistemological basis of intercultural learning. It will answer the question why the logics of learning will help to support the theory of intercultural pedagogy