Reason and Values: New Essays in Philosophy of Education

The authors confront many of the topics and notions which are prominent in educational discussions today – empowerment, democracy, autonomy, critical thinking, gender, the hidden curriculum, relativism, and creativity – and the debate is intense and vehement. These essays make an important contribution to that debate, challenging what passes as obvious truth, focusing what tends to be blurred, reminding where memory has started to fail. One would not expect consensus on particular substantive points in philosophy but the contributors . . . share a concern to have their philosophical arguments bear on matters of educational practice. This collection is testimony to the fact that this aim can be pursued without sacrificing standards of philosophical interest and adequacy.