EDUCATION AND THE LIMITS OF REASON: READING DOSTOEVSKY

Philosophers of education have had a longstanding interest in the nature and value of reason. Literature can provide an important source of insight in addressing questions in this area. One writer who is especially helpful in this regard is Fyodor Dostoevsky. In this essay Peter Roberts provides an educational reading of Dostoevsky's highly influential shorter novel, Notes from Underground. This novel was Dostoevsky's critical response to the emerging philosophy of rational egoism. In this close reading of Notes from Underground, Roberts compares rational egoism with neoliberalism, analyzes the experiences of the central character (the Underground Man), and considers the need for harmony in our educational development as reasoning, feeling, and willing beings.     

THE PEDAGOGY OF TECHNICAL HIGHER EDUCATION: ITS POSSIBILITIES AND LIMITS

The improvement of teaching and learning in university‐level education is of interest as well as importance to all concerned with problems in this domain. The following article, which analyses this issue in the context of technical higher education, was written for “Higher Education in Europe” by Professor Gheorghe Buzdugan, Head of the Department of the Strength of Materials, Polytechnic Institute of Bucharest. Professor Buzdugan is also a Member of the CEPES Advisory Committee.     

TECHNOLOGY AND TESTING: STATE OF THE ART AND TRENDS FOR THE FUTURE

Until recently, computers and computer related technology have been used in testing primarily to provide large scale programs with cost effective scoring and reporting. However, the "microcomputer revolution" is beginning to have a significant impact on how technology is being employed in testing. The present paper reviews a number of existing applications where microcomputers have been successfully employed in the context of testing. Then, future trends in both technology and instruction are examined for possible impact upon testing.     

POWER AND TRUST IN THE PUBLIC REALM: JOHN DEWEY,SAUL ALINSKY,AND THE LIMITS OF PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATIC EDUCATION

Throughout the twentieth century, middle‐class progressives embraced visions of democracy rooted in their relatively privileged life experiences. Progressive educators developed pedagogies designed to nurture the individual voice within egalitarian classrooms, assuming that collective action in the public realm could be modeled on the relatively safe small‐group interactions they were familiar with in their families, schools, and associations. Partly as a result, they remained blind to (and often denigrated) the democratic aspects of working‐class organizations, such as unions and community action groups, which found strength in solidarity. In this article Aaron Schutz argues that progressives must integrate into their models the often brutal lessons about power learned by those with less privilege. Until they do so, their approaches to democratic education will continue to have limited capacity to support social transformation and empowerment in the world as it is.     

GIFTED AND TALENTED CHILDREN: THE NATURE OF GIFTEDNESS,SCREENING, DEVELOPMENT

The intensive restructuring of Soviet society has led to the decision to establish the National Centre on Creative Giftedness to lead theoretical and applied research on the nature of giftedness both in children and adults. The development of a gifted person is viewed as an ideal model of normal development. The psychology of giftedness includes investigations into the nature of creativity and creative personality growth; the structure and dynamics of general ability and special capacities; the psychophysiology of individual differences; psychogenetic studies. Applied research involves educational practices based on creative problem discovery and problem solving. General giftedness is viewed as primarily expressing itself in problem sensitivity and sensitivity to nonstandard ways of solving them. It also involves a high ability to anticipate and forecast the future. The integral components of giftedness are considered in terms of an evaluation function based on the individual's perspective, intellectual and emotional ‘standards’. Special abilities are viewed as emerging against the framework of general giftedness.     

GOALS,PURPOSES, AND FUTURE OF UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION IN THE PSYCHOLOGY OF AGING

The study of aging can bridge divisions between biology, social sciences, and humanities, develop an understanding of causal interrelationships, and help in distinguishing between fact and opinion. An introductory course in gerontology should, therefore, be firmly tied to the liberal arts core of higher education, and not merely provide an assembly line of facts. Why particular problems have been investigated is as worthy of discussion as the findings themselves. The practical implications of research deserve emphasis, but the aim of university education is not to train pressure groups. Undergraduates should be helped to appreciate difficulties in designing and interpreting gerontological studies, as well as to realize that they are not yet ready to undertake independent empirical investigations.

The work of the first author is supported by the Canadian National Research Council (APA 89) and the Department of National Health and Welfare.     

THE CROATIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES AND ARTS PAST AND FUTURE

The Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts traces its origins back to efforts to create a learned society in Croatia during the first half of the Nineteenth Century. At first concerned exclusively with the language, literature, and history of Croatia, it evolved into an eclectic organization conducting and sponsoring research in a wide rage of disciplines and fields. Currently, the work of the Academy is concentrated in eight departments and is conducted by eleven scientific councils, ten committees, and twenty research units. Since its founding, the Academy has published almost 3,400 books.