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Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / The problem of this dissertation is to ascertain to what extent the philosophy of Georg W. F. Hegel is influential in the formulation of the philosophy of education of William Torrey Harris. The term 'influence' is used in three different ways: First, in the straightforward sense in which Harris makes specific mention that an idea which he accepts was the direct result of his exposure to Hegel. Second, when an idea of Hegel's is accepted in toto by Harris and there is no evidence that Harris obtained the idea from any other source. Third, when an idea of Hegel's leads Harris to modify or expand it to such an extent that the idea can no longer be strictly called Hegelian. The most frequent use of the term is in the two former senses rather than in the latter problematic sense. On the basis of an examination of Harris' own intellectual and philosophical development, this work suggests that the primary area of Hegel's influence on Harris is axiological. Harris utilizes the Hegelian notion of freedom as the central notion in his philosophy of education. Underlying this notion of freedom is the category of causality, which, when viewed under the category of the understanding implies mechanistic determinism but, when viewed from the level of reason implies self-determination which is non-mechanistic. However, Harris' analysis of freedom is not exhausted by an "abstract justification," to use Hegel's term. Both Hegel and Harris insist that abstract or metaphysical freedom must be made concrete in the institutional life of the state. At this point, Harris' discussion of the major institutions of society, i.e., the family, civil society, and the state, are almost totally Hegelian. The relation of education to the state then becomes clear: Harris defines education as the process by which the individual becomes ethical--a definition which Harris takes to be originally Hegel's. The school is conceived of as that institution which enables the individual to become self-estranged or self-alienated, a necessary characteristic in the development of the ethical life. For Harris as well as Hegel the self is initially characterized as selfish. However, this quality must be overcome in order that the individual may become ethical i.e., an effective member of the state. For Harris, the central notion of an educational philosophy must be grounded in philosophy itself. However, educational philosophy also has the responsibility to formulate the means by which the philosophical objective may be implemented. For example, using Hegelian terms, Harris insists that the elementary school operates at the level of representation, the secondary school at the level of understanding, and the college at the level of reason. These three levels of education correspond generally to Hegel's categories of being, essence, and notion. However, the main function of the school is to see that the will and the intellect are trained so that they will enhance the freedom of the person. Thus, the elementary school may emphasize the training of the will, but not to the point where it would ignore the training of the intellect. On the other hand, various traditional subjects, especially the humanities, afford the student the opportunity to study the history of the intellect and the will: for example, a history of man's actions is a study of the will, while the history of philosophy is an examination of man's intellectual attempt to come to understand reality. If the school were successful in enabling the student to find truth and to act in accordance with truth, then the goal of education would be realized; that is, the student would have turned his formal or abstract freedom into substantial or concrete freedom. Harris' philosophical and educational views are critically examined on five counts: His notion of freedom, his ideas on the various levels of knowing and their relationship to education, his notion of the relationship of the self to institutional arrangements, his theory of the relationship between the school and other institutions, and finally his views on the relationship between philosophy and philosophy of education. In conclusion, it is suggested that Harris' contribution to educational philosophy lies not in the construction of a new perspective, but in the application of the Hegelian philosophy to the problem of education. / 2999-01-01

In 1839 the English Parliament first disbursed funds for the formal education of teachers. Between 1839 and the McNair Report in 1944 the institutional shape and the intellectual resources upon which teacher training rested changed profoundly. The centre of teacher training moved from theologically-based colleges to university departments of education; the primary source for understanding education shifted from theology to psychology. These changes altered the ways in which educators contemplated the nature of the child, the role of the teacher and the aim of education itself. This thesis probes such shifts within a variety of elite educational resources, but its major sources of material are ten training colleges of diverse types: Anglican, Nonconformist, Roman Catholic, and University. The period covered by this thesis is divided into three broad blocks of time. During the first period (1839-1885) formal training occurred in religious colleges, and educators relied upon Biblical narratives to understand education. This first period also saw the birth of modern psychology, whose tools educators often deployed within a religious framework. The second period (1886-1920) witnessed the growth of university-based training colleges which were secular in nature and whose status surpassed that of the religious colleges. During this period, teacher training emphasized intellectual attainment over spiritual development. During the third period (1920-1944), teachers were taught to view education from the standpoint of psychological health. The teacher's goal was the well-developed personality of each child, and academic content served primarily not to impart knowledge but rather to inform the child's own creative drives. This educational project was construed in scientific and anti-metaphysical terms. The replacement of a theological and metaphysical discourse by a psychological one amounts to a secular turn. However, this occurred neither mechanically nor inevitably. Colleges and theorists often seem to have been unaware of the implications of their emphases. This thesis contemplates explanatory models other than the secularisation thesis and raises important historical questions about institutional identity and the processes of secularisation.

The theoretical movement known under the heading of posthumanism has entered the academic field. Posthumanisms most prominent feature is to retrieve the concept of matter into the analytical framework. Matter is understood to be under-theorized within the social sciences as a result of the permeative focus upon language and discourse. A prevailing understanding of posthumanism that has been used within educational science and philosophy thus consists of moving the searchlight from language/discourse onto matter. Notably, these scholars are turning to the philosopher Karen Barad in order to spell out their posthumanistic implications. The aim of the thesis is to give an account of the philosophy of Karen Barad in contrast to other prevailing renderings of her. The analysis is carried out using a contrastive methodological approach. In this study I demonstrate how my reading of Barad differs from the scholarly readings that I choose to engage with. The results show that with an alternative conceptual understanding of Barad’s posthumanistic theory the analysis is being steered towards the entanglement of matter and discourse rather than towards the materialistic components of a posed problem. In addition, the results also show how a focus on the ontological underpinnings of Barad’s theoretical framework can give crucial contributions when it comes to understanding the generative conditions of science and knowledge-making.

Widely known definition of pedagogy as a science of education, which is a process of intentional action on the individual, doesn't accurately represent the true substance of upbringing and education according to Jan Patočka, one of the most important Czech philosopher. He asks for fundamental questions about the nature of education and their targets. Education is the foundation of humanity itself for him and it is essentially connected to philosophy. Primarily the education is the education to humanity for Patočka. It is about education, which is interpreted as a care of the soul, of the soul opened to the outside world. It should lead to awareness, it should be determined by a kind of moral idea and finally it makes us human. Patočka criticizes purely scientific and theoretical education full of positivist utilitarianism and POLYMATHIA. On the contrary, he puts the process of education and training to the field of the natural world, the world of human experience in which a person has to carry out his options and scheduling its life. The philosophy helps to orient in the natural world. Thus the education is the essence of philosophy. The thesis deals with the pedagogical and educational moments, which can be seen from Patočka's phenomenological philosophy, and it deals also with analysis of the...

Este trabalho apresenta uma reflexão sobre a relação entre a educação e a política a partir do pensamento de Hannah Arendt. Em seus escritos encontramos afirmações de separação radical entre a educação e a política, algo incomum nos discursos correntes de ambas as áreas. Apesar dessas afirmações, Arendt reflete sobre a crise da educação a partir de suas considerações sobre a política e a crise do mundo moderno, afirmando que a situação da educação é um problema político. Além disso, a autora considera a natalidade a essência da educação, conceito que também é central em sua compreensão sobre a política. Outro elemento que encontramos em seus escritos é o uso da expressão pré-política para referir-se à educação. Algumas perguntas, então, motivam as reflexões neste trabalho: o que significam, no pensamento da autora, as afirmações que distanciam tão fortemente a educação da política? Como a crise na educação pode ser tida como um problema político se estes são dois âmbitos separados? Como a natalidade conceito político em Arendt pode ser considerada por ela a essência da educação? Por que Arendt se refere a ela como sendo um âmbito prépolítico? Este trabalho, portanto, se traduz numa reflexão sobre a ideia de educação em Hannah Arendt realizada a partir do conjunto de seu pensamento político, sempre preservando a distinção estabelecida entre estes âmbitos. São apresentadas relações entre a educação e a política a partir da responsabilidade que ambas assumem pelo mundo (de maneira complementar e distinta), identificando também a condição de antecedência necessária da educação em relação à política na medida em que, ao apresentar o mundo, o conserva (para que este possa seguir sendo o palco e o centro da política). Por fim, apresentamos reflexões que revelam as razões de a crise na educação ser um problema político e que, portanto, envolve discussões de ordem política em função da abertura que a atual crise do mundo provoca. / This work introduces a reflection about the relationship between education and politics coming from the teachings of Hannah Arendt. In her writings one finds statements about a radical separation of education and politics, something unusually found in the discourse of both fields. Despite these assertions, Arendt reflects about the crisis of education from her considerations about politics and the crisis of the modern world, claiming that the current educational situation is a political problem. In addition to this, the author considers natality to be the essence of education, a concept which is also central in her understanding of politics. Another element we find in her writings is the use of the expression pre-politics to refer to education. Some questions, then, motivate the inquiries in this work: what do the assertions which so strongly set politics and education apart mean in the authors thinking? How can the crisis in education to be considered a political problem if these are two separate areas? How can natality a political concept for Arendt be considered the essence of education? Why does Arendt refer to it as being a pre-political realm? This investigation, therefore, can be translated into an inquiry about the idea of education in Hannah Arendt realized from the conjunction of her political thought, preserving the distinction between these two fields. There are considerations about the relationship between education and politics from the responsibility both take for the world (in distinct and complementary ways), respecting the precedent condition of education in relation to politics, as the former introduces the world, conserving it ( so that it can be the stage and the center of politics). Lastly, there are reflections which present the reasons why the crisis of education is indeed a political problem and henceforth involves political discussions in function of the opening promoted by the current crisis of the world.

Esta tese teve por objetivos analisar a possibilidade de a disciplina Filosofia da Educação contribuir para que os educandos construam sua autonomia e propor diretrizes para seu projeto. Teoricamente, a investigação apoia-se no processo de autocriação da sociedade e da fabricação de seus indivíduos, nas dimensões imaginárias e conjuntistaidentitária. Para melhor compreensão da disciplina, buscaram-se a sua instituição na formação dos educadores, com análise do monopólio legislativo do Estado na educação; a institucionalização da formação dos professores e a tentativa de cientismo da educação. Elegeram-se como material empírico da proposta, as disciplinas de Filosofia da Educação do curso de Pedagogia da Universidade Federal de Viçosa, que guardavam, em geral, identificação/semelhança com seus congêneres em outras instituições, bem como entrevistas com dirigentes acadêmicos e professores que as ministravam. Em virtude de a organização, estrutura e conteúdo dessas disciplinas não potencializarem a interrogação e nem a possibilidade de construção de sua autonomia pelos educandos, consistindo tão-somente em discurso de autonomia e fabricação da heteronomia, este trabalho fundamentou-se no pensamento de que a única Filosofia da Educação que pode contribuir para a construção do sujeito reflexivo e deliberante, e do espaço democrático, é a que se interroga incessantemente. Propuseram-se, então, para tal disciplina, entre outras, as diretrizes referentes à instalação de uma crise das verdades e das certezas dos educadores, dos educandos e a aspiração de autonomia/cidadania/democracia. / This thesis aims to analyze if the Philosophy of Education course can help students build their autonomy proposing guidelines for their projects. Theoretically, the investigation is based on the societys process of self-creation and fabrication of its individuals, in imaginary and conjunctionist-identitary dimensions. For further comprehension of the course, its institution was sought in the education of the teachers, analyzing the State Law monopoly in education. The empiric material chosen for this proposal were the Philosophy of Education courses for the Major in Education at the Federal University of Viçosa (Minas Gerais, Brazil), keeping, in general, identity/similarity with its similar courses in other institutions, as well as interviews with the academic directors and professors who teach it. Since the organization, structure and syllabus of these courses do not leverage questioning nor enable students to build their autonomy, consisting merely of the discourse of autonomy and fabrication of heteronomy, this research was based on the reckoning that the only Philosophy of Education that can contribute to the construction of the reflexive and deliberant subject and of the democratic space is that which questions itself incessantly. Then, among other ones, the guideless proposed for this course referred to the placing of a crisis of truths and certainties of both the teachers and the students, as well as the desire for autonomy/citizenship/democracy.

A educação dita tradicional, que só exige um trabalho de memorização de um conteúdo rígido e fixo, procura formar indivíduos para que se adaptem à sociedade em que vivem. Dessa forma, essas metodologias pedagógicas são conservadoras, ou seja, esperam que o sujeito adquira passivamente o conhecimento dessa sociedade e encontre o seu lugar social, modificando a si mesmo para conformar-se ao modus vivendi, porém sem alterar ou modificar em nada essa sociedade em que habita. O pressuposto latente nesse modo de pensar é a aceitação passiva da sociedade e a consideração de que nenhuma mudança é bem-vinda. John Dewey discorda dessa postura conservadora da educação e da sociedade humana como um todo e propõe uma filosofia da educação que seja crítica com ela mesma e com o mundo que nos cerca e, assim, possua capacidades reconstrutivas. O objetivo dessa filosofia é sua aplicação na formação de um ser humano, de modo a oferecer condições que o possibilitem criticar e reconstruir a sociedade em que deseja viver. Desse modo, para que seja possível esse novo estilo de vida, Dewey propõe um sistema filosófico que não seja um modelo fechado e eterno, mas orientações gerais que possibilitem a reconstrução contínua da sociedade. / The so-called traditional education requires only memorization of a rigid and fixed content, seeking ways for individuals to adapt to the society in which they live. The teaching methods are conservative, ie, they expect that subject acquires passively knowledge of the society and find his social location, modifying himself to \"conform\" to the modus vivendi, but without changing or modifing anything in this society where he lives. The basic assumption of this way of thinking is the passive acceptance that in the society change is not welcome. John Dewey disagree this conservative approach of education and human society as a whole and proposes a philosophy of education that is critical of itself and of the world around us and thus has reconstructive capabilities. The goal of this philosophy is its application in the formation of a human being in order to provide conditions that enable him to criticize and reconstruct a society in which he wans to live. To reach this new lifestyle, Dewey proposes a philosophical system which is not a closed eternal model, but general guidelines that facilitate the continuous reconstruction of the society.

Este estudo tem por objetivo compreender a dignidade do exercício docente e os possíveis sentidos que podemos encontrar nessa profissão. Para tanto, partimos de dois romances: O primeiro homem, de Albert Camus e Diário de escola, de Daniel Pennac - para neles indicar a potencialidade da atuação docente. A literatura é neles tratada como fonte de onde emanam episódios que convidam à reflexão e como reorganização do mundo em termos de arte, uma vez que, a partir do que foi lido nessas narrativas, certos conceitos teóricos foram se engendrando. A filosofia da educação como principal aparato para analisar as cenas dos romances, sendo Fernando Bárcena um dos referenciais teóricos. Essa filosofia é tomada como forma de analisar e buscar os sentidos do que singularmente ocorre nas narrativas. A educação, que é a acolhida das crianças a este mundo comum, como uma relação entre a experiência, o sentido e o tempo. Assim, a atenção se volta para as cenas únicas, para as experiências individuais e, embasado nelas, pode-se dar sentido ao que ali se identifica. Esta questão sobre a unicidade das pessoas, como a singularidade dos fatos e certas reflexões sobre o que é o pensar, a natalidade, a responsabilidade de um docente, a necessidade de se encontrar um lugar no mundo para ali viver e se responsabilizar por ele, dentre outras, são fundamentadas em Hannah Arendt. Dessa maneira, o estudo se divide em três partes autônomas e, quando lidas em conjunto, podem contemplar as inquietações tecidas nesta pesquisa. São elas: a relação do professor com certos alunos que podem ser salvos, por ele, de algum infortúnio e outros aspectos do docente em relação às crianças; a relação do educador com o mundo e os possíveis milagres que ele pode viabilizar na vida de seus alunos e como esses podem eclodir ou não; e, por último, como a relação do professor consigo próprio pode ajudá-lo a se guiar em um ofício tão cheio de paradoxos como é a docência. Para concluir, buscamos identificar a dignidade da docência em seus possíveis sentidos. Como a experiência de ler dois romances pode indicar uma orientação para se chegar à resposta para tal procura. Que certa luz encontrada nessas experiências dignas possa nos iluminar. / The objective of this study is to understand the dignity of teaching practices and the possible depth of significance that can be found in this profession. With that, we start with two novels: Le premier homme by Albert Camus and Chagrin décole by Daniel Pennac for within them is indicated the potentiality of teaching performance. Literature is considered as sources from which emanate conditions which invite reflection as well as for which to reorganize the world in terms of art; considering from what was read there certain theoretical concepts were engendering. The philosophy of education is the basis upon which to analyze the scenes of the novels, and Fernando Bárcena as one of the theoretical frameworks; this philosophy could also be seen as a way to analyze and seek the senses of what uniquely occurs in the narratives. Education assimilates children into this common world as a relationship between experience, significance and time. Thus, our attention focuses on unique scenes and on individual experiences, therefore, based on them, we make sense of what we see. This question about the uniqueness of the individual is akin to a singularity of the facts and/or some reflections on what the thinking is. These questions in regards to birth, the responsibility of a teacher, the need to find a place in the world to live there and take responsibility for it, among others, are all based on Hannah Arendt. Thus, the study is divided into three autonomous parts and, when read together, should make the concerns integrated into this research. These parts are: the teacher\'s relationship with certain students who can be saved by him from some misfortune and other aspects of teaching in relation to children; the educator\'s relationship with the world and the possible miracles that he could enhance in the lives of their students and how these can break out or not; and finally, the relation of the teacher with themselves can help them in a trade so full of paradox as teaching is. Upon conclusion, we seek to identify the dignity of teaching within its significance. The experience of reading these two novels may indicate a direction leading to an answer on this quest; certain light found in these worthy experiences could enlighten us.

Esta tese assinala, com base na obra de Hannah Arendt, a fundamental importância do amor ao mundo para a educação. A filósofa explica que por meio da educação introduzimos as crianças no mundo humano e aponta o impasse que surge com a perda da tradição e o desmantelamento desse espaço comum na Era Moderna. Partindo desse problema, a questão central deste trabalho é: como despertar nos alunos o apreço pelo mundo que nos une com os diferentes, encorajá-los a encontrar seu lugar nele num momento em que a ausência de sentido e a preocupação com a sobrevivência se impõem, de modo que qualquer compromisso com o comum parece ser uma exigência deslocada e anacrônica? Arendt não propõe soluções, mas é rigorosa ao afirmar que quem educa é duplamente responsável: pelo mundo e pelas crianças na educação decidimos se amamos o mundo e seus novos habitantes. Posto que a autora não explicita o que vem a ser esse amor, investiga-se a noção do amor mundi, recorrendo ao conjunto de suas reflexões. Entende-se que, se o mundo é o lugar das histórias humanas no qual podemos estabelecer relações e nos revelar como pessoas, o amor a ele é uma resposta à destruição totalitária desse espaço humano e ao não-mundo da sociedade moderna organizada em torno do processo vital de produção e consumo. Com recurso a diversos conceitos de Arendt, principalmente os de ação e pensamento, aborda-se e discute-se a difícil tarefa educativa de acolher os jovens no mundo, de mostrar-lhes que, apesar de este lugar estar fora dos eixos, ainda vale a pena apostar nele, e de encorajá-los para que, por sua vez, estabeleçam seu vínculo singular com esse espaço comum e seu legado, pelo qual futuramente serão responsáveis. / This thesis, based on the work of Hannah Arendt, points out the fundamental importance which the love of the world has for education. The philosopher explains that we introduce the children into the human world through education and shows the impasse that arises from the loss of tradition and the disintegration of that common space in the modern age. Starting from that problem the central question of this work is: how to arouse in the students an appreciation of the world that joins us to different ones and how to encourage them to find their place in it in a moment in which meaninglessness and the preoccupation with survival impose themselves, so that any commitment to the common seems to be an out of place or anachronistic request? Arendt does not propose solutions, but is rigorous in asserting that whoever educates is doubly responsible in education we decide whether or not we love the world and its new inhabitants. Since the author does not explain what that love is, the notion of amor mundi is investigated having recourse to many of her reflections. The understanding achieved provided that the world is the place of human stories where we can establish relations and reveal ourselves as persons is that the love of it is an answer to the totalitarian destruction of that human space and to the wordlessness of the modern society organized around the vital process of production and consumption. Based on diverse concepts of Arendt, especially on those of action and thinking, we approach and discuss the difficult educational task of receiving the younger ones into the world, of showing them that, although this place is out of joint, it is still worth relying on it, and of encouraging them to establish by themselves their singular bond with this common space and its legacy, for which they will be responsible in the future.