Practical Rationality, Learning and Convention

Essays in the Philosophy of Education

By (author) Christopher Winch

Publication date:

05 April 2022

Publisher

Anthem Press

Dimensions:

229x153mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9781839981913

This collection of articles by one of the leading philosophers of education in the English-speaking world takes up themes in the philosophy of language, epistemology and the philosophy of learning to shed light on philosophical puzzles concerning learning, concept formation, knowing how, the following of norms and whether there is a single concept of rationality that can be applied universally. Winch writes from a Wittgensteinian perspective, seeking dissolution rather than solution to philosophical problems. The collection also has a strong practical emphasis; the topics chosen are nearly all related to practical problems of educational policy and practice as well as have intrinsic philosophical interest.

Acknowledgements; Preface: A Brief Introduction to the Rationale for the Collection; Part I Rationality, Concepts and Conventions; Chapter One Education, Literacy and the Development of Rationality; Chapter Two Cooper, Labov, Larry and Charles; Chapter Three Do We Need Conventions?; Chapter Four Professional Education, Know- How and Conceptual Ability: The Role of Education in the Attainment of Concept Mastery in Professional Work; Part II Know-How and Vocational Education; Chapter Five Ryle on Knowing How and the Possibility of Vocational Education; Chapter Six Vocational Education, Knowing How and Intelligence Concepts; Chapter Seven Assessing Professional Know-How; Chapter Eight Education and Broad Concepts of Agency; Chapter Nine Knowing ‘Wh’ and Knowing How: Constructing Professional Curricula and Integrating Epistemic Fields; Chapter Ten Professional Knowledge, Expertise and Perceptual Ability; Chapter Eleven Applied Theoretical Knowledge and Professional and Vocational Education; Part III Learning and Training; Chapter Twelve Learning How to Learn: A Critique; Chapter Thirteen The Representational Theory of Learning and Its Pedagogic Relevance; Chapter Fourteen Curriculum Design and Epistemic Ascent; Chapter Fifteen Rousseau on Learning: A Re-Evaluation; Chapter Sixteen Learning the Virtues at Work; References; Index.

Overall, the essays in this book are characterized by a high level of scholarship and pedagogical relevance for researchers in the field of Wittgenstein studies and philosophy of education. It will be a worthwhile read especially for those who want to rediscover the study of Wittgenstein in a way that is not so self-absorbed in the exegetical debates around his life and work. Its focus on the critical application of Wittgenstein in professional and vocational education is a welcome breather that can make his philosophy more appealing to a wider audience of teachers and educators. —Lumberto Guce Mendoza, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, University of the Philippines, Philippines