Education in an Age of Nihilism: Education and Moral Standards

by Nigel Blake, Paul Smeyers, Richard Smith, Paul Standish

Overview

This book addresses concerns about educational and moral standards in a world increasingly characterised by nihilism. On the one hand there is widespread anxiety that standards are falling; on the other, new machinery of accountability and inspection to show that they are not. The authors in this book state that we cannot avoid nihilism if we are simply laissez-faire about values, neither can we reduce them to standards of performance, nor must we return to traditional values. They state that we need to create a new set of values based on a critical assessment of contemporary practice in the light of a number of philosophical texts that address the question of nihilism, including the work of Nietzsche.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780750710176
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	12/14/2000
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	260
Product dimensions:	5.44(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Nigel Blake works at the Open University and is Chair of the Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain.,
/ Paul Smeyers is Professor of Education at the Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven, Belgium where he teaches philosophy of education.,
/ Richard Smith is Reader in Education at the University of Durham and Editor of the Journal of Philosophy of Education.,
/ Paul Standish is Senior Lecturer in Education at the University of Dundee and is Assistant Editor of the Journal of Philosophy of Education.

Table of Contents

Part I: Working Without Values 1. Education Without Risk 2. Life Skills, Teaching Skills 3. Choice, Narrative and Work 4. Education and the Last Man Part II: Overcoming Nihilism 5. Nihilism, Nietzsche and Education 6. Our Most Holy Duty: Language and Literacy 7. Apollo and Dionysos 8. Beyond Pain and Pleasure: Affirmative Ethics and Integrity Part III: Raising Standards 9. Solitude, Silence and Listening 10. The Courage of Immorality 11. On Having Educative Relationships With One's Pupils 12. Taking Ignorance Seriously

Editorial Reviews

Viewing contemporary education in the UK and much of the English-speaking world as characterized by a lack of commitment to any values beyond continuation of the system, the authors apply the lens of Nietzsche and other philosophers who addressed the issue of nihilism to education practices, standards, and policy. Part I illustrates this value-less state. Part II explores theoretical resources for addressing the problem. The last section offers advisory "fragments" for education managers based on Nietzsche's paraphrased credos: e.g., "laugh a lot, especially at the latest idiocies." Blake (Open U.) is chair of the Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain. Coauthors are educators in the UK and Belgium. Distributed in the US by Taylor & Francis. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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