Scheffler
pp. 407-416
in: Paul Smeyers (ed), International handbook of philosophy of education, Berlin, Springer, 2018Abstract
Recently, many political philosophers and philosophers of education have expressed their concern over the narrowing scope of education in today's democratic societies. In this chapter, I will reconstruct a Schefflerian approach to this question, which I find rewarding in at least three respects. Firstly, Scheffler develops further the Deweyan idea of schools as "standing apart from current social conceptions and serving the autonomous ideals of inquiry and truth" and should thus be autonomous from any short-term ends of current society. Secondly, Scheffler's conception of human nature, related to his theory of symbolism as well as his understanding of the intertwined nature of reason and emotion, provides a view that points to wide-ranging possibilities – and requirements – for education. Thirdly, Scheffler's epistemological and ontological insights provide a coherent basis for his educational philosophy. I will argue that Scheffler's broad conception of education rooted in his wider philosophical framework provides a fruitful conceptual framework for opposing the current neoliberalist tendency toward reducing the value of education to that of economic discourse.
