The sixteen essays in this volume are all concerned, in one way or another, with the philosophy of education. By this I understand the philosophical puzzles and problems that arise from a pervasive aspect of human life, the preparation, in the broadest sense, of young humans for adult life, although it does not exclude practices of preparation in adult life such as professional and vocational education. The Philosophy of Education draws on different areas of Philosophy, including Epistemology, Ethics and the Philosophy of Mind. The philosophical puzzles that arise in the Philosophy of Education concern, among other things, the acquisition of reason, the development of practical knowledge and, more generally how humans learn.

One philosopher who was concerned with these questions was Wittgenstein, and his influence looms large in all these essays. The influence is, however, largely indirect rather than exegetical. Wittgenstein was concerned not to spare other philosophers the trouble of thinking for themselves, and there are many areas of Philosophy which he did not comment on, although he did very much concern himself with learning and in particular with the acquisition of basic abilities to act and to speak. To the extent that thinking is evident in these essays, it is through an attempt to approach problems of Philosophy of Education in a spirit of, if possible, either dissolving them or showing that the study of them can lead to clarity about the issues that give rise to the puzzles in the first place.

The other aspect of the approach in this collection is to address practical educational questions in those cases where conceptual issues pose apparent problems for practitioners and educational researchers. Throughout the collection there is an emphasis on the complexity and subtlety of many of the philosophical problems associated with education, the importance of appreciating differences and the contestability of many educational judgements. Thus the volume starts with a section on rationality, concepts and conventions and a discussion of some of the perplexities about the nature of literacy and whether it represents a cognitive ‘leap forward’ for the human race or whether it is more of an enabling technology.