For decades, the humanistic disciplines--particularly history and philosophy of education--have justified themselves as an essential part of professional training for educators by characterizing themselves as the "foundations of education." This justification, the author will argue, has been weakened in recent years, and as a consequence…

Feminist theory has come a long way from its nascent beginnings--no longer can it be classified as "liberal," "socialist," or "radical." It has shaped and evolved to take on multiple meanings and forms, each distinct in its own perspective and theory. In "Feminisms and Educational Research," the authors explore the various forms of feminisms,…

Background Context: Despite its significance for learning, listening has received very little attention in the philosophy of education literature. This article draws on the philosophy and educational thought of Aristotle to illuminate characteristics of good listening. The current project is exploratory and preliminary, seeking mainly to suggest…

Background/Context: This article is part of a series of studies carried out by the authors in this special issue on the general topic of listening and its specific relevance to teaching. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study: We examine the common activity of pretending to listen and argue that thinking about it carefully reveals some…

A broad-scale quantification of the measure of quality for scholarship is under way. This trend has fundamental implications for the future of academic publishing and employment. In this essay we want to raise questions about these burgeoning practices, particularly how they affect philosophy of education and similar sub-disciplines. First,…

This essay reflects upon certain aspects of Wittgenstein's own practices as a teacher. "Doing" philosophy always took priority for Wittgenstein, whether this was in oral or written form: it was important to show the deep puzzles in our language (and our culture and thinking) as a step toward dissolving them. In this respect, one can teach only as…

In his writings Jim Marshall has helpfully emphasized such Wittgensteinian themes as the multiplicity of language games, the deconstruction of "certainty," and the contexts of power that underlie discursive systems. Here we focus on another important legacy of Wittgenstein's thinking: his insistence that human activity is rule-governed. This idea…

This essay examines critically the conceptual and normative underpinnings of various views about educational quality, emphasizing the centrality of different assumptions about educational aims. Two distinctions play a key role in the first part of the paper: that between transcendent justifications of educational aims, versus socio-cultural…

Presents an overview of a special issue of "Educational Theory" devoted to the philosophy of education as practiced in the United States. Essays address various facets of the history of the Philosophy of Education Society along with a retrospective commentary. The paper discusses diversity and continuity in the field. (SM)

Discusses the current state of philosophy of education and future research directions. Reviews relevancy problems and attendant role changes in education schools. Reviews four promising areas: gender issues, educational research methodology, teacher cognition and reasoning issues, and critical perspectives on education and schooling. Includes 103…

When education is regarded with a "tragic sense," both pessimism and utopianism are avoided. The tragic sense refers to an awareness of impediments to success, prospects for failure, and limits to one's efforts. Tragic circumstances in education are discussed, in addition to pragmatism as a philosophical approach to education. (IAH)

Two trends in postmodernist thought are discernible: one redefines modernist principles such as democracy, reason, and equality; the other deconstructs and rejects these principles. However, the redefinition of modernist principles offers educators the most hopeful and useful conception of dialogue across differences. (SK)

Introduces eight essays inspired by Rene Arcilla's essay, "Why Aren't Philosophers and Educators Speaking to One Another?" The essays focus on the decreased visibility and influence of philosophy of education on the community of educators. Some essays agree that the problem exists but disagree about its causes and remedy, while others…

Introduces a collection of papers that examine the past, present, and future of the journal, Educational Theory, and the field of educational theory, highlighting the 1950s-90s. The essays focus on: being and doing; memory and forgetfulness; diversity and divergence; and deconstruction and reconstruction. Several recurrent themes evident…

Comments on several responses to Arcilla's article, "Why Aren't Philosophers and Educators Speaking to One Another?" asserting that Arcilla is correct and that there must be conversation between philosophy and education. The article recommends situated philosophy and concludes that demonstrating the viability of philosophy of education…