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Of what use is philosophy to education? What do philosophical purposes, skills and attitudes bring to educational practice? What might they accomplish? My concern in what follows is not with any particular set of philosophical doctrines, nor am I inquiring after the educational implications of this or that philosophical viewpoint. Rather, my questions pertain to philosophical activity itself. The questions are thus quite general and they are certainly not new. But they take on special urgency when viewed in the perspective of current trends that are likely increasingly to affect our future circumstances of life and our operative conceptions of education

This title, first published in 1973, brings together a variety of papers by Israel Scheffler, one of America’s leading educational philosophers. The essays each stress the importance of critical thought and independent judgement to the organization of educational activities. In the first section, Scheffler adopts a metaphilosophical approach, emphasizing the role of philosophy in educational thought. A number of key concepts are dealt with next, including the study of education and its relation to theoretical disciplines, philosophical interpretations of teaching, and the education of teachers. The final section is critical, and deals with the writings of several key thinkers in the field. A broad and authoritative study, this reissue will provide any Philosophy student with an essential background to the criticism and theories surrounding the philosophy of education.

Anyone familiar with Nelson Goodman's philosophical career knows that to have quarreled with him was a hazardous enterprise. For aside from his creative brilliance and analytical subtlety, he was also one of the foremost dialecticians of the age. Seeing through the flaws of rival views and rebutting putative counterarguments to his own came as easily to him as breathing. To recall his rejoinders to a long list of would-be rebuttals of his paper, "On Likeness of Meaning",' or the acute series of counterexamples to received views of scientific law in his pioneering paper, "The Problem of Counterfactual Conditionals",2 or his replies to criticisms of his nominalism in "A World of Individuals",3 or again, his replies to confident attacks on his theory of projection4 is to find ample evidence of an intimidating intellectual presence. To take issue with him was in fact to take one's philosophical life in one's hands and many are those over the course of his career who rued the venture. Since I was one of the earliest of Goodman's doctoral advisees, starting in 1949 at the University of Pennsylvania, and studying with him during the period of his controversies over likeness of meaning, counterfactuals, and induction, as well as the first publication of his monumental book, The Structure of Appearance,' you can be sure that I did not pick my quarrels with him lightly. Moreover, I had no independent reason to quarrel with him. Indeed, he was generous and helpful to me, commenting on my early efforts with care and suggesting publication for my first papers. The truth is that I not only admired him enormously both as a thinker and a teacher but also

In contrast to monistic realism (as represented by Peirce) and pluralistic irrealism (as represented by Goodman) I argue for what I call plurealism, a view which is both pluralistic and realist, recognizing different worlds that are not only independent of one another, but also independent of us.

The concept of potential plays a prominent role in the thinking of parents, educators and planners the world over. Although this concept accurately reflects central features of human nature, its current use perpetuates traditional myths of fixity, harmony and value, calculated to cause untold mischief in social and educational practice. First published in 1985, Israel Scheffler's book aims to demythologise the concept of potential. He shows its roots in genuine aspects of human nature, but at the same time frees it from outworn philosophical myths by means of analytical reconstruction - thereby improving both its theoretical and its practical applicability. The book concludes with an interpretation of policy-making in education, and reflections on the ideal education of a policy-maker. It emphasises human symbolism, choice, temporal continuity, and self-determination as indispensible elements of any adequate philosophy of education. Of Human Potential will be of interest to a broad range of philosophers, educators and social scientists.

First published in 1991, In Praise of Cognitive Emotions comprises fourteen of Scheffler's most recent essays – all of which challenge contemporary notions of education and rationality. While defending the ideal of rationality, he insists that rationality not be identified with a mental faculty or a mechanism of inference but taken rather as the capactity to grasp principles and purposes and to evaluate them in the light of relevant reasons. Examining a broad range of issues – from computers in school to math education, from metaphor to morality – these essays are unified by Scheffler's conviction of the primacy of critical thought in education. Scheffler is especially concerned to promote a broad interpretation of rationality to counteract the narrowing of vision accompanying the technological revolution now sweeping education. Addressing three specific areas of curriculum, the work offers a critique of computer applications to education, develops a notion of strategic rationality in understanding mathematical reasoning, and, contrary to prevalent notions of moral education, connects reason with care, thus emphasizing the intimate connection between emotion and reason and challenging the dominant perception of the two as oppositional.

92 evening students indicated their attitudes on each of 10 news topics by checking 1 of 2 statements. 9 judges had agreed that one alternative was an emotional reaction, the other a non-emotional reaction. Analysis of variance showed emotionality to be slightly related to sex, but not to educational level or liberal-conservative newspaper preference. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)