(Re)constructing the theory and philosophy of education: An introduction

Abstract

This book provides an introduction into the theory and philosophy of education. It is not the first book that aims to introduce the field, and it will undoubtedly not be the last. How then is this book different? When we look at currently available introductions we can see that many, if not all of them, take a systematic approach, in that they aim to provide a structured overview of key concepts, ideas and themes, and of main traditions and schools of thought. This is sometimes done through a presentation of particular theorists and philosophers, but more often the focus is on themes and ideas, and the views of particular theorists and philosophers are discussed in function of such themes and ideas. Such introductions are necessarily retrospective. They look back at what has been achieved in the field so far, and do so from a certain distance, in order to be able to identify those ideas and positions that have proven to be important and influential. In this way such introductions provide newcomers with a clear map of what the field is about, a clear insight into how things hang together, and a clear indication of what the important and influential contributions are.