From a "prima facie" point of view, Nietzsche's use of virtue may appear to be a form of virtue ethics. Certainly, this is one position that has been established within the secondary literature; however, I argue that a more fruitful philosophical reading is to view his use of virtue as a part of his "drive" psychology. Indeed,…

This paper examines the notion of tolerance in education. In general, tolerance is perceived as a means to resist hostility, raise awareness of cultural differences, mitigate violence, and maintain liberal and democratic values. In education, there are various initiatives, such as the International Day for Tolerance (UNESCO in Declaration of…

This article is the result of a mutual interest in the radical philosophical dialogue discussed by Martin Buber. The radical dialogue is rooted in western European values of humanism, values that are challenged because they exclude women, people with disabilities, non-western, indigenous people and sexual minorities. With our basis in radical…

Rhetorician Kenneth Burke's theory of identification usefully demonstrates how (and where) communities are able to engage with difficult, opposing viewpoints as they develop or maintain a sense of shared identity. Identification, "establishing a shared sense of values, attitudes, and interests with [an audience]," is promoted…

In this paper, we propose an understanding of philosophy of education as cultural and intercultural work and philosophers of education as cultural and intercultural workers. In our view, the discipline of philosophy of education in North America is currently suffering from measures of insularity and singularity. It is vital that we justly and…

Patricia White ("Stud Philos Educ" 18:43-52, 1999) argues that the virtue gratitude is essential to a flourishing democracy because it helps foster universal and reciprocal amity between citizens. Citizens who participate in this reciprocal relationship ought to be encouraged to recognize that "much that people do does in fact help to make…

In this paper I discuss the possibility of the idea of emancipation within an educational philosophy that does not accept schooling as its first premise. The first part of the paper will take Sweden as an example of an educational state defined through educational policies such as life long learning, accountability and evidence-based research, and…

Although since the 1960s human capital theory has played a major role in guiding educational policy, philosophical issues that stem from this development have rarely been discussed. In this article, I critically examine how the idea that human capital should serve as a guide to educational policy making stands in relation to the role assigned to…

In this paper I chart the origins of modern day "biopedagogy" through an analysis of two historically specific figures of abnormality: the nervous child and the degenerate. These two figures form the positive (hygienic) and negative (eugenic) surfaces of biopolitics in education, sustained and articulated through the category of immunization. By…

Amartya Sen's capability approach creates an evaluative space within which individual well-being is considered in ways that diverge from dominant utilitarian views. Instead of measuring well-being based on the accumulation of wealth and resources by individuals and nations, the capability approach focuses on the opportunities (capabilities) an…

Dewey's ideas were slower to be accepted in Britain than elsewhere, due to pedagogical, epistemological, social and political factors. Only the pedagogical ideas elicited even minor support in the first half of the century. Developments after 1960 led to widespread implementation of Dewey's principles mainly in the primary education sector.(PGS)

Dewey's ideas of democracy and pragmatism clashed with the monarchial and idealistic patterns of school-practice and pedagogic theory in pre- and post-World War II Germany. Acceptance of Dewey's work was hindered by counterproductive politico-educational interpretations of source material compounded with a lack of hermeneutic assessment of his…

Examines often unrecognized religious assumptions implicit in John Dewey's social philosophy that affected his definition of democracy and influenced his idea of education. Asserts that without an awareness of these religious assumptions, neither Dewey's social philosophy nor his educational theory can be properly understood.(PGS)

Assesses the influence of John Dewey's work on the renewal of European education in the 20th century using examples from the history of Dutch education. Concludes that Dewey's ideas and practices did not have lasting influence on the development of Dutch early childhood education and primary and secondary schools, mostly for reasons unrelated to…

During the first half of the 20th century, Emmy Walser of Switzerland helped to incorporate John Dewey's "free working method" into German-language kindergartens. The kindergartens were previously organized around a rigid interpretation of Friedrich Froebel's educational principles, characterized by constant guiding of the child's…