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Toward a philosophy of technological education: Reconstructing Deweyan insights

John Dewey lived in a world marked by Whitney's assembly line, Taylor's stopwatches, and segmentation of labor. Yet, he contended that training for specific jobs is ineffective. To him, worker's intelligence was largely wasted. / In the 1990s, linear thinking was replaced by a visual culture. Philosophies are no longer foundations in the tribunal of reason, but rather doors inviting readers to leave philosophical cathedrals and look at ordinary problems. This calls for a philosophy of technology. The production paradigm has changed. Rather than the division of labor model, "multiplication of labor" through technology now prevails. Many contemporary people perceive the technical environment as a given. This led to two conflicting attitudes, both reflecting a lack of comprehension of the technical object: Technolatria and technophobia. In Dewey's time, technology was perceived as a panacea for social problems. After him, a number of studies treat technology as a seductive specter. We remain chained to technology, when we regard it as neutral; for this conception of it blinds us to its essence. However, when hammers and wrenches are displaced by numbers and buttons, a new kind of learning must begin. Action-centered skills are being replaced by intellectual skills. High tech demands flexibility, conceptual preparation, merging of learning and doing, training and working. This analysis specifies the relevance of Deweyan ideas in the present era. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-12, Section: A, page: 3779. / Major Professor: Emanuel I. Shargel. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_77315
ContributorsOliveira, Jose Carlos A., Florida State University
Source SetsFlorida State University
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeText
Format138 p.
RightsOn campus use only.
RelationDissertation Abstracts International

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