Mapping the Field of Philosophical Foundations of Education

• In Event: Educational Foundations: A Book Symposium

Abstract

This presentation acknowledges that defining the field of philosophy of education might be well understood as an enterprise both philosophical and educational. As such, the presentation embraces the standards of the field’s traditions of exploring itself, offering an account of the field's typography across various dimensions (Dearden, 1982; Hirst, 1963). Intended for novice and adept scholars, the presentation creates an accessible perspective from which many of the field's defining contours might be appreciated.
The presentation’s overview proceeds in three segments. Beginning with a focus on methods and methodologies, the presentation argues that one might best understand the field of philosophy of education as existing at the intersection of philosophical methods/methodologies as these are applied to the specific subject/s of education. Following this, the presentation discusses the methods of 1) sustained questioning, 2) argumentation (including a number of its various types and standards), 3) the creation of theory, and 4) the practice of critique in philosophy of education. These methods encompass the vast majority of philosophical work in education, across both historical and contemporary contexts. Importantly, the presentation offers meaningful analyses of that historical context, demonstrating the ways in which the field's traditions have long marginalized particular perspectives relative to gender, race, sexuality, etc. and provides evidence of the ways in which this is being addressed (Diller et al., 1996; Martin, 1984; Moses, 2002).
It is argued that the above-described methods of inquiry are enacted via methodologies aligned with various philosophical traditions, informing which questions a scholar in the field is inclined to pose and the procedures by which they are most likely to pursue answers. Transitioning to a non-exhaustive account of a number of the various intellectual traditions that have emerged within the field of philosophy of education, the presentation briefly considers a few ancient traditions, connecting these to popular educational movements originating within various Continental traditions (Plato et al., 1992; Rousseau, 1762/1979). The remainder of this portion of the presentation is devoted to identifying the rise of pragmatist and analytic work, important for their impact within the field and in relation to other disciplines (Dewey, 1916; Garrison & Neiman, 2003; Scheffler, 1960).
The presentation concludes with an overview of current contours of practice as understood via a brief overview of popular subject matter in the field and a rough cataloguing of a number of the academic/professional organizations and journals that house the work earlier described. In this, attendees will find ready opportunity to engage the conceptual, empirical, and professional context of philosophy of education, better understanding how these might intersect in influencing emergent scholarship in this foundational field of educational studies.

Author

• Winston Charles Thompson, The Ohio State University