Overview

This concise, digestible book shows how the cultivation of reason became the defining aim of western education, and critiques how this aim has been eclipsed in recent decades by the neoliberal system of mass schooling imposed by the state. Chapters outline succinctly the history of western education and its origins in Ancient Greece, demonstrating how the idea of education as intrinsically related to the development of reason became embedded in the Western educational tradition, and how this tradition subsequently developed and evolved. Introducing key philosophical ideas about the nature of education, the book shows how the development of mass schooling in the 19th century led to our current educational landscape, where neoliberal demands for schools to be more responsive to market forces have obscured the development of reason as a distinctive educational aim. By inviting educators to think reflectively and critically about the state of education today, the book raises the little-discussed educational question of what comes after neoliberalism. Calling for the re-establishment of western education’s core values and aims, this book will be of interest to educators, researchers and students involved with pre- and in-service teacher education courses, as well as those interested in the history of education and the philosophy of education more broadly.

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9781041038603

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Reviews

""This beautifully written book provides a compelling account of why the main aim of western education is to cultivate the capacity to reason, and how the meaning and educational importance of this aim has changed over time in response to changing historical conditions. Wilfred Carr makes a strong case for the need to revive and reclaim this educational aim in the social and political climate that exists today.” Fazal Rizvi, Emeritus Professor, University of Melbourne Australia ""This book explains how cultivating our ability to reason became the unique purpose of Western education and how this purpose has been eroded by the recent establishment of mass schooling and the pervasive character of neoliberalism. Carr concisely outlines the history of this conception of education and draws on a range of historically important educational philosophies to argue that there is the urgent need for educators to reclaim it for today."" Professor Eleanore Hargreaves, Faculty of Education and Society, University College London, UK

Author Information

Wilfred Carr is Emeritus Professor of Education, University of Sheffield, UK.

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