A History of Western Philosophy of Education in the Age of Enlightenment

Book excerpt: This volume traces the history of Western philosophy of education through the Age of Enlightenment. The period between 1650 and 1850 was one of rapid intellectual development that revolutionized how education is viewed. Even the most progressive thinkers of the start of this period would have found the educational ideas expressed at its end odd, alien, and even dangerous. Shaped by broad intellectual movements, such as the Enlightenment, the counter-enlightenment and romanticism, as well as by the work of exceptional individuals including John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Hélvetius, Mary Wollstonecraft, Pestalozzi, Fröbel and Emerson, the educational philosophy of this period has laid the foundations of how we think of and conduct education today. About A History of Western Philosophy of Education: An essential resource for researchers, scholars, and students of education, this five-volume set that traces the development of philosophy of education through Western culture and history. Focusing on philosophers who have theorized education and its implementation, the series constitutes a fresh, dynamic, and developing view of educational philosophy. It expands our educational possibilities by reinvigorating philosophy's vibrant critical tradition, connecting old and new perspectives, and identifying the continuity of critique and reconstruction. It also includes a timeline showing major historical events, including educational initiatives and the publication of noteworthy philosophical works.