What form might truth take in a theoretical frame which precludes notions of origin and "telos?" Catherine Malabou's theory of 'plasticity' is such a frame, as it takes the accumulation of life and not the search for eternal truths to be a central premise of philosophy. I conduct a close reading of central texts of Malabou's to…

In this article, David Hansen works with two conceptions of "being with." The first is Jean-Luc Nancy's ontological version as found in his "Being Singular Plural" (1999). The second is Hansen's ontic formulation as expressed in his recent book, "Reimagining the Call to Teach: A Witness to Teachers and Teaching"…

Although virtues and vices are typically thought of as individual qualities, a growing body of philosophical inquiry suggests that they can comprise collective qualities as well. In this paper, I expand upon the work of philosopher Miranda Fricker to question whether arts organizations can be considered institutionally virtuous and/or vicious. I…

Over recent years, it has been claimed that we live in a 'post-truth' age: a moment in history where the ideal of truth seems to have been abandoned. The prevailing attitude towards truth is not one of antagonism but of "indifference." Should this bother us? If so, why? What might we mean by 'truth'? How is truth relevant to education?…

Inspired by Aristotle and Goffman this article considers how the study of virtue acquisition may be pursued through an observational theorising about social interactions in institutions. Adapting Goffman's and Harré's notions of moral order and moral career, it proposes character education to be a dialogic process requiring negotiation between…

Much of Western thought has been informed by an ontology of being and a desire to uncover or establish universal truths and principles. This tradition has catalyzed our propensity to see change and difference through the lens of crisis. With this frame in mind, I invite readers to reconsider our relationship to change and difference by discussing…

This paper introduces the concept of polyphonic relational epistemology, an extension of relational epistemology that emphasizes knowledge as a dialogic and multivocal process. Drawing on Mikhail Bakhtin's theory of polyphony, the paper argues that the act of knowing emerges from the interaction of multiple, irreducible voices. This approach…

This book is a philosophical enquiry into the educational consequences of Spinoza's political theory. Spinoza's political theory is of particular interest for educational thought as it brings together the normative aims of his ethical theory with his realistic depiction of human psychology and the ramifications of this for successful political…

This article seeks to explore how, why and under which conditions a move away from critique as a negative practice towards an -- educationally more valuable -- affirmative notion of critique is important in formulating pedagogies that might respond more productively to the challenges of the post-truth era. What is at stake here in reframing…

This paper argues that the influential French thinker, Simone Weil, has something distinctive and important to offer educational and ethical inquiry. Weil's ethical theory is considered against the backdrop of her life and work, and in relation to her broader ontological, epistemological and political position. Pivotal concepts in Weil's…

In this article, Seamus Mulryan contends that dialogue about questions that matter to a body politic require the ethical virtue of courage, which is distinct from the virtue of intellectual humility, and this is of central importance in the education of members of a pluralist society. Mulryan begins with Robert Kunzman's theory of Ethical Dialogue…

Can Aristotle's idea of practice be made fruitful for music pedagogical action in schools? That this is the case is repeatedly asserted in the music pedagogical discussion. This article takes up this assertion and develops a proposal for class music making based on Aristotle's theory of action.

The following article traces the legacy of John Dewey's "A Common Faith" (1934) and Dewey's concept of "the religious" in the thought of Philip H. Phenix, a prominent philosopher of education during the 1950s and 1960s. Phenix frequently cited "A Common Faith" and echoed Dewey's commitments to naturalism, creativity,…

Education theory has been exhibiting a renewed rejection of education's instrumentality to political and economic influences against a policy trend that implicitly considers education a mere pragmatic tool. This paper suggests an ontological investigation that goes beyond normatively supporting or rejecting the instrumentality of education. It…

A foundational principle of neo-Aristotelian character education is that virtue can be cultivated, in particular through the emulation of moral role models, such as teachers. Yet despite the pedagogical appeal of role modelling, what emulation involves remains methodologically unclear. In this paper, I suggest that part of this ambiguity lies in a…