This article proceeds from a consideration of what John Baldacchino calls 'viable ignorance', attempting to take leave from the critical and pedagogical obligations of certain elements of Barbara Johnson's 'positive ignorance'. It considers Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-François Lyotard and the composer, Karlheinz Stockhausen's reflections on modes of…

According to Matthew Lipman, one of the founders of the Philosophy for Children (P4C) programme, critical thinking improves reasonableness and the exercise of good judgement, both of which Lipman takes to be necessary to sustaining a democratic society. Against his view, I argue that although critical thinking can be done well or badly, it does…

To develop students' critical thinking is one of the primary goals of a modern democratic school system. However, what is to be developed has been the matter of long-standing debate. One particular area of conflict has been what role is played by the knowledge concerning the object to be critically thought about. The 'specifists' have asserted…

This second chapter of "Interpreting Kant in Education" begins to contrast different interpretations of some of Kant's key terms. Kant makes many distinctions in formulating his view, most notably between spontaneity and intuition, sensibility and the understanding, things in themselves and appearances, and receptive and spontaneous…

Chapter Eight of "Interpreting Kant in Education" again illustrates the tendency in education theory to attribute to Kant a radical subjectivism, an all-powerful mind, that leads to accusations of intellectualism and a disembedded conception of mind, detached from real life. Interpretations of Kant's terms, previously introduced from…

In Part One of "Interpreting Kant in Education," a reading of Kant was gradually developed by drawing on interpretations of his key terms and insights from contemporary exegesis and work in the philosophy of mind. This reading is used in Part Two to challenge the widespread 'Kantian' picture in education and address familiar criticisms…

In this, the first chapter of "Interpreting Kant in Education," contrasting interpretations of some of Kant's central terms and insights are introduced. It is argued that some central assumptions about mind and world, rooted in traditional empiricist epistemology, have acted as obstacles in interpreting Kant. Discussion of John…

In previous chapters of "Interpreting Kant in Education," a particular set of assumptions about mind and world has been identified for their influence on the familiar 'Kantian' picture in education, a picture that receives widespread criticism. In this fourth chapter, various understandings of familiar concepts are again discussed for…

In the earlier chapters of "Interpreting Kant in Education," a reading of Kant was developed that contrasts sharply with the widespread 'Kantian' picture in education theory. Having discussed aspects of Kant's view in relation to empiricist and naturalist (mind-independent) epistemologies, I turn in this sixth chapter to contrast them…

In this final chapter of "Interpreting Kant in Education," I revisit and expand on some of the main differences in interpretation between the reading of Kant being presented and the familiar Kant found in education theory. It has been maintained that some deep-seated presuppositions from empiricist epistemology have influenced…

In this paper, I offer Brighouse et al some friendly suggestions for expanding the notion of 'educational goods', pose some challenges for their book's decision-making framework and offer an opportunity for them to fill some small, but interesting lacunas. I start by comparing their typology of desirable educational outcomes with alternative…

In this paper, I argue that focusing on resilience education fails to appropriately reflect the socio-political nature of character. I define protective epistemic character traits (PECTs) as epistemic character traits which aid students in avoiding, limiting or mitigating harm in the classroom. I argue that the relationship between epistemic…

In this ninth chapter of "Interpreting Kant in Education," I respond to familiar criticisms in education theory of a dualism that is seen to be at the heart of Kant's philosophy. This, and related charges of a detached conception of mind, are addressed through a discussion of concepts--conceptual unity, conceptual distinctions, how these…

In this Chapter Ten of "Interpreting Kant in Education," I respond to critique of Kant's ethics in education theory. Typically presented as a constructivist, with mind (detached from desire) imposing meaning and maxims, Kant's ethics are regularly disparaged and subject to the same charges of a dualism and disembedded mind that are made…

This paper explores the concept of "Gelassenheit" as developed in the later thought of Martin Heidegger. It seeks to show the relevance of this to aspects of education, especially to the ways that teaching can be enhanced in order to do better justice both to the learners and to what is studied. Thinking in this way helps to overcome the…