In this paper, we discuss some conditions for understanding silence as an act of self-criticality and caring for the Other, rather than as an instrumental or technical act identified through discipline or reflection. We first engage into a critical reading of Western and Eastern traditions of silence and use this to explore the pedagogical value of silence. Then we argue how an educational philosophy of silence can be a philosophy of otherness and theorize how teachers and students may reclaim a place for silence in educational settings. We contend that for that to happen teachers and students have to give up their position on the safe side of knowledge and embrace the inexpressible and unknowable.