Nichiren Buddhism and Deweyan Pragmatism: An Eastern-Western Integration of Thought

Let me begin by thanking the members of the George F. Kneller Advisory Committee and you the members of the American Educational Studies Association for inviting me to give the annual Kneller Lecture on this the fiftieth anniversary of the Association.The present phase of rising nationalism and growing global xenophobia does not suggest this is the season for the integration of international thought. Nonetheless, my lecture focuses on an instance of a nascent integration of Eastern and Western philosophical and educational ideas.     

Growth and Resistance: How Deweyan Pragmatism Reconstructs Social Justice Education

While Democracy and Education is often cited within the scholarship on and teaching of social justice education, it and Dewey's work generally remain underutilized. Peter Nelsen argues in this essay that Deweyan pragmatism offers rich resources for social justice education by exploring how Dewey's three‐part conception of growth has both analytical and normative force. Nelsen makes this case by examining student resistance to engagement with social justice issues, and concludes from this analysis that resistance is an opportunity for growth. Furthermore, rather than being a precursor to critical engagement with ideas, Nelsen contends that creating collaborative environments that foster interdependence across group memberships might be as important as the critical engagement itself.     

Aligning Deweyan Pragmatism and Emersonian Perfectionism: Re-imagining Growth and Educating Grown-Ups

This essay examines in detail the triangulated conversation Naoko Saito constructs, in The Gleam of Light , among the voices of R. W. Emerson, John Dewey and Stanley Cavell. The pivot around which everything turns is the Emersonian ideal of moral perfectionism and, in particular, the implications of this ideal for the philosophy of education. As explicated by Cavell, this ideal concerns 'the dimension of moral thought directed less to restraining the bad than to releasing the good'. For the conscientious person, it is, at once, unavoidable and unattainable. In constructing a conversation among these and other authors, Saito establishes herself as an arresting voice by her thoughtful contributions to many contemporary controversies bearing upon our educational practices, not least of all ones about curricular reform as well as personal transformation.     

Pragmatism and the Tragic Sense: Deweyan Growth in an Age of Nihilism

In the context of contemporary nihilistic tendencies in democracy and education, Dewey's pragmatism must respond to the criticism that it lacks a tragic sense. By highlighting the Emersonian perfectionist dimension latent in the concept of growth, this paper attempts to reveal a sense of the tragic in Dewey's work—his humble recognition of the double nature of democracy as both attained and unattained. It is precisely the lack of this sense of the tragic that characterises contemporary nihilism. In resistance to this, Deweyan growth points to a perfectionist education committed to the re–awakening of intensity of impulse.     

Transformative Experience: An Integrative Construct in the Spirit of Deweyan Pragmatism

A sentiment held by Dewey and shared by other educators is that learning should enrich and expand everyday experience. However, this goal has not been a focus of research. In this article, I propose transformative experience as a construct capable of reflecting this goal and functioning as an empirical research construct. I discuss the theoretical grounding for this construct in the work of Dewey and define it in terms of three characteristics: (a) motivated use, (b) expansion of perception, and (c) experiential value. In doing so, I describe how transformative experience integrates current research constructs such as transfer, conceptual change, and task value in a holistic way. I then provide illustrations of transformative experiences and review the existing research.     

‘To Be Is To Respond’: Realising a Dialogic Ontology For Deweyan Pragmatism

Dewey's pragmatism rejected ‘truth’ as indicative of an underlying reality, instead ascribing it to valuable connections between aims and ends. Surprisingly, his argument mirrors Bishop Berkeley's Idealism, summarised as ‘esse est percepi’ (to be is to be perceived), whose thinking is shown to be highly pragmatist—but who retained a foundationalist ontology by naming God as the guarantor of all things. I argue that while this position is unsustainable, pragmatism could nonetheless be strengthened through an ontological foundation. Koopman's charges of foundationalist ‘givenism’ in Dewey's work, and in his promotion of the scientific method, are not proven. However, Koopman's ‘genealogical pragmatism’ may develop Deweyan educational theory by addressing dilemmas around curricular study. Koopman's arguments also point towards a missing ontological piece in Dewey's theory of knowledge. In the final section of the article I offer a dialogic ontology as compatible with pragmatism. This dialogical ontology provides both an ethical foundation through interrelatedness, and a generative theory of meaning and experience, as emergent from the encounter with difference. In this framework, to be is to respond—or be responded to. I offer the metaphor of ‘realisation’ to capture the human experience implied by this ontological stance.     

Introduction to Section III: Deweyan Growth in Practice

At present, the structures, practice, and discourse of schooling are anchored to a “commercial spirit” that understands students, educators, and parents as economic operators trading competitively in human capital and to a discourse of failure that is disabling those who seek to understand and enact John Dewey's notion of education as democratic practice. Here Barbara Stengel illustrates both the commercial spirit in public schools and the discourse of school failure across two geopolitical settings: Shanghai, China, and urban U.S. schools. She argues that framing the educational enterprise in terms of economic success and failure makes it difficult for educators to address Dewey's vision of democracy and education substantively. Stengel concludes with an acknowledgment that, regardless of putative political commitments, these two public school systems are schooling — though not often educating — the same neoliberal subject, but that Dewey's vision of democracy and education nonetheless remains critical and compelling.     

The Freedom to Teach

Maintaining that academic freedom is necessary if schools are to function effectively, Dr. Dahl presents lucid arguments to support his position.     

The Freedom to Kill

什么是自由？如果简单地把自由理解为想干什么就干什么。那就错了。自由也是有界限的。法治下的自由让人们和谐相处。但是。不受限制的自由却会给社会带来危害。让我们看看生活在西方自由社会的Brad眼中的自由是怎样的。     

An Alternative to Von Glasersfeld's Subjectivism in Science Education: Deweyan Social Constructivism

An influential view of constructivism in science and mathematics educational research and practice is that of Ernst von Glasersfeld. It is a peculiarly subjectivist form of constructivism that should not be attractive to science and mathematics educators concerned with retaining some sort of realism that leaves room for objectivity. The subjectivist constructivism of von Glasersfeld also becomes entangled in untenable mind/body and subject/object dualisms. Finally, these dualisms are unnecessary for social constructivism. I will provide one example of a social constructivist alternative to social constructivism, that of the pragmatic philosopher John Dewey. In presenting Dewey's position I will appeal to Ockham's razor, that is, the admonition not to multiply entities beyond necessity, to shave off the needless mentalistic and psychic entities that lead von Glasersfeld into his subjectivism and dualism.     

Educational Visions from Two Continents: What Tagore adds to the Deweyan perspective

In this global village, it is relevant to look at two educational visionaries from two continents, John Dewey and Rabindranath Tagore. Dewey observed that the modern individual was depersonalized by the industrial and commercial culture. He, thus, envisioned a new individual who would find fulfillment in maximum individuality within maximum community, which was embodied in his democratic concept and educational philosophy. Tagore's educational vision was based on India's traditional philosophy of harmony and fullness. It focused on self‐realization within the context of international education. This article compares the educational visions of Dewey and Tagore and demonstrates that Tagore's international educational perspective adds to Dewey's concepts of social individual and democracy and that their perspectives have implications for contemporary education.     

Reading Giroux Through a Deweyan Lens: pushing Utopia to the outer edge

… power is never uni dimensional; it is exercised not only as a mode of domination, but also as an act of resistance or even as an expression of a creative mode of cultural and social production outside the immediate force of domination.The point is important in that the behavior expressed by subordinate groups cannot be reduced to a study of domination or resistance.Clearly, in the behavior of subordinate groups there are moments of cultural and creative expression that are informed by a different logic, whether it be existential, religious, or otherwise.(Giroux, 1983, p.108)
Our faith is ultimately in individuals and their potentialities.In saying this, I do not mean what is sometimes called individualism as opposed to association.I mean rather an individuality that operates in and through voluntary associations.If our outward scene is one of externally imposed organization, behind and beneath there is working the force of liberated individualities, experimenting in their own ways to find and realize their own ends.The testimony of history is that in the end such a force, however scattered and inchoate, ultimately prevails over all set institutionalized forms, however firmly established the latter may be.(Dewey, 1928, cited in Hickman & Alexander, 1998, p.322)     

An Alternative to Von Glasersfeld's Subjectivism in Science Education: Deweyan Social Constructivism

An influential view of constructivism in science and mathematicseducational research and practice is that of Ernst von Glasersfeld. It is apeculiarly subjectivist form of constructivism that should not be attractiveto science and mathematics educators concerned with retaining some sort ofrealism that leaves room for objectivity. The subjectivist constructivism ofvon Glasersfeld also becomes entangled in untenable mind/body andsubject/object dualisms. Finally, these dualisms are unnecessary for socialconstructivism. I will provide one example of a social constructivistalternative to social constructivism, that of the pragmatic philosopher JohnDewey. In presenting Deweys position I will appeal to Ockhams razor, thatis, the admonition not to multiply entities beyond necessity, to shave offthe needless mentalistic and psychic entities that lead von Glasersfeld intohis subjectivism and dualism.In outward forms, experimental science isinfinitely varied. In principle, it is simple. We know an object when we knowhow it is made, and we know how it is made in the degree in which weourselves make it.John Dewey (1925, 1981, p. 319)     

好莱坞指北针

Old-World Charmers远古的诱惑Before Russell Crowe strapped on his sword and went intoMaximus overdrive, gladiator movies were still Airplane!punchlines.So,there’s precedent for these two rated-B.C.epics-with hunky stars Brad Pitt,Eric Bana and Orlando Bloomstarring in Troy and Colin Farrell leading Val Kilmer and An-gelina Jolie in Alexander-to put a lift in audiences’loincloths.Troy’s our boy,and it’s not just because the flick featnres DianeKruger as Helen,a woman attractive enough to start a war.Okay,maybe it is,but so what?     

实用主义哲学对现代教育理论发展的影响——威廉·詹姆士《实用主义》研读

实用主义哲学思想具有世界范围内的巨大影响。中国对实用主义的认识还是从约翰.杜威开始的。然而,威廉.詹姆士的作用不能低估。威廉.詹姆士的实用主义哲学思想对现代教育理论发展的重要启示是：必须注重教师和学生个体的独立性,教学应是教师＂哲学思考的方法＂,而学生应可以选择学习的内容和过程;必须强调教师和学生都具有不同的＂气质＂,教学活动其实就是一种＂气质＂冲突和协调的过程;必须认识教育在本质上就是经验的不断积累,但又需要承认教授间接知识具有与直接经验同等的重要价值。     

实用主义知识观对美国成人教育的影响论析

19世纪末,在美国教育界兴起了以实用主义哲学为理论基础的实用主义知识观,它对美国的成人教育产生了深远的影响。本文从知识的本质、价值和获得三个方面分析实用主义知识观的基本特征,进而指出在实用主义知识观的影响下,20世纪上丰叶美国成人教育在终身化思想、教育目标、课程、教学、学习和师生关系等方面呈现出的新特点。     

Moral imagination in education: A Deweyan proposal for teachers responding to hate speech

This article is about moments when teachers experience hate speech in education and need to act. Based on John Dewey’s work on moral philosophy and examples from teaching practice, I would like to contribute to the discussion about moral education by emphasizing the following: (1) the importance of experience, (2) the problem with prescribed morals and (3) the need for moral imagination in education. My Deweyan proposal for teachers responding to hate speech in education is to use moral imagination in education and take contextual elements into consideration when deciding how to act. Doing this would facilitate work related to doing morals and help to prevent prescribing morals as something that has already been done and that teachers (and students) have to adjust to in schools without being part of the process.     

Toward a Programmatic Pragmatism: A Response to Naoko Saito

Naoko Saito has made a good case for emphasising the 'tragic' dimension within Dewey's pragmatism. My response suggests ways in which Saito has not gone far enough. She does not adequately move beyond 'procedural pragmatism' to a 'programmatic pragmatism' which offers substantive articulations about the human good. In addition, her emphasis on 'Emersonian perfectionism' is misguided. Both the language of 'perfectionism' and the figure of Emerson are unsuitable for the project she intends. Speaking more concretely of a 'tragic–comic meliorism' allied to the novelist Hawthorne, it is suggested, provides a more fruitful path.