In 2009 Harvey Siegel edited "The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Education." This article develops a theme, prompted by reflection on several essays in that volume, about the nature of philosophy of education and its relation to philosophy. Siegel's view that philosophy of education is a "branch" of philosophy is put to…

Rachlin (2012) makes two general assertions: (a) "To be human is to behave as humans behave, and to function in society as humans function," and (b) "essential human attributes such as consciousness, the ability to love, to feel pain, to sense, to perceive, and to imagine may all be possessed by a computer'. Although Rachlin's article is an…

Starting from the premise that Paulo Freire's capacity for hope in the face of personal struggle and exile issued from his spirituality, this paper examines Freire's spirituality through the lens of Michael Dantley's concept of critical spirituality. The concept of spirituality as discussed in the literature is explored, followed by an explication…

As a springboard into her response inspired by Noah Sobe's article, this author offers two possibilities for what cosmopolitanisms can tell about comparative and international education research. First, from her perspective, rooted in justice and peace studies, she is intrigued by several authors' assessments of cosmopolitanism as a cognitive or…

This paper argues that the current approach to educational quality formation in transnational higher education promotes educational imperialism, and that guidelines and practices should be altered to embrace context-sensitive measures of quality. The claims are sustained by findings from a study that investigated how academics understood and…

Purpose: For 40 years, it has been widely believed in the West that learning organisations would be healthier, flexible and more competitive than other organisations. By now, one might expect them to be widespread. However, fully developed learning organisations are rare in the West. In contrast, Chinese organisations seem naturally to be learning…

Higher education institutions seem to be becoming increasingly flexible with different functions. Most universities' mission statements involve teaching, research and service, but while the teaching and research missions are clearly defined and located within certain areas of the university activities, service is less clear and more ambiguous,…

In anticipation of the European Union (EU) Year of Intercultural Dialogue, 2008, Clarissa Menezes Jordao interviewed Jose Eustaquio Romao, Director of the Paulo Freire Institute in Brazil. Her edited translation of that interview is presented here. In the interview Romao, guided by the legacy of Brazilian educator, Paulo Freire, discusses the…

Explores conceptual and practical differences between traditional and therapeutic foster care. Notes that therapeutic foster care is linked to emerging philosophy referred to as postmodernism. Cautions that, if this philosophical basis is not understood, thrust of therapeutic foster care may be seriously misconstrued, and community-based style of…

Ralph Waldo Emerson experienced the natural world as a sort of school. He thought that the school of nature offered both challenging instructors and an unlimited number of lessons. What are these lessons, for Emerson, and who are these teachers? How can the education that nature offers be discovered? To talk of the education of nature is, like…

Critiques ontological, epistemological, psychological, and axiological elements of Froebel's educational thought. Identifies valuable and important aspects of his work and characterizes Froebel as a prophet, healer, and visionary. (RH)

Peruses Adler's Paideia Proposal and its use of excerpts from Dewey's writings on democracy, focusing on the meaning of democracy. Analyzes Adler's and Dewey's views from a traditional philosophic standpoint (neo-Thomistic versus experimentalist), contrasts them from an educational philosophic vantage (perennialism versus progressivisim), and…

Compares science, pedagogy, and art in terms of scope, purpose, rhetoric, effects, discourse, and other factors. Views science as positivistically oriented toward reality, art as producing unpredictable effects, and pedagogy as focused on students. Concludes that pedagogy is neither science nor art but rather an exercise in persuasion. (PAA)

In this article, the author, a member of the International Society for the Philosophy of Music Education (ISPME), shares his views on the future of the "philosophy of music education." According to him, the "philosophy of music education" can be and is, many different things. He argues that the ISPME should develop an open and…

Explores John Dewey's reconstruction of what he called "objectivism," considered by him as a compelling feature of Aristotle's thinking and discusses Aristotle's theory of conduct to determine whether or not his vision there is "limited to the existing world." Concludes that Aristotle's method, in matters of education, shares…