A collection of all the important material from the 1950s when philosopher Geroge Grant did his first teaching and writing at Dalhousie University.

More than a decade after his death, George Grant continues to stimulate, challenge, and inspire. During his lifetime he influenced a broad cross-section of Canadians, urging them to think more deeply about matters of social justice and individual responsibility. He wrote on subjects as diverse as technology, abortion, Canadian politics and nationalism, and the war in Vietnam, and was claimed equally by rightist and leftist causes. Grant's legacy includes six books and more than two hundred articles, as well as numerous broadcast transcripts, extensive correspondence, and a wealth of unpublished lectures, essays, and notes. In this projected eight-volume series, Grant's published and unpublished writings, including his complete correspondence, will be brought together for the first time. The texts are annotated, and each volume includes an introduction to the period that it covers. The series will not only make it possible to see the whole pattern of Grant's thought, but will also invite a reconsideration of the nature and importance of his work. Volume I covers Grant's intellectual development through his student years. Included are his early reviews, a brief journal written as he recovered from tuberculosis in 1942, and his earliest social and political writings about Canadian and international affairs. The most important of Grant's formative years were those spent at Oxford after the war, culminating in the writing of his DPhil thesis on the Scottish philosopher John Oman. In this dissertation, published here in full, we see the main themes of Grant's thought worked out for the first time.

Included are Grant's early reviews, a brief journal written as he recovered from tuberculosis in 1942, his earliest social and political writings, and his DPhil thesis on the Scottish philosopher John Oman.

William F. Pinar presents a comprehensive and original study that demonstrates the significance and pertinence of the scholarship of George Grant for teaching today. While there are studies of Grant’s political philosophy, there has been no sustained study of his teaching. Pinar not only draws upon the collected works; he has also consulted Grant’s PhD thesis at Oxford, as well as the philosopher’s biography, collected letters, and the vast secondary literature. What emerges is a treatise that reveals Grant’s timeliness and his prescience in identifying and critiquing key educational issues nearly half a century ago, from academic vocationalism and educational technology to privatization and the ascendency of research—issues that are eminently relevant today. Beyond the classroom, Grant’s concerns extended to the impact of economic globalization which, he feared, would erase distinctive national histories and cultures. As such, Grant foresaw the current issues of right-wing populism, notably in the UK and the US, as reactions against these historical tendencies. This volume is destined to become an indispensable reference work for students of Grant in particular and for students of education in general. This book is published in English. - S’il existe des études portant sur la philosophie politique et la théologie de George Grant, il n’y avait jusqu’à maintenant aucune étude soutenue sur son enseignement et, plus précisément, sur la relation de son approche pédagogique à celles-ci. Aucune étude ne puisait de façon aussi poussée à l’œuvre complète – y compris à ses présentations aux enseignants et à sa thèse doctorale d’Oxford en philosophie – ou à sa biographie, sa correspondance, et la vaste littérature secondaire. Conçu comme livre de référence pour les adeptes de Grant de même que comme un manuel pour les étudiants en éducation, cet ouvrage arrive à point nommé. Pinar souligne la prescience de Grant, qui identifiait et critiquait il y a déjà cinquante ans des questions d’ordre éducationnel – vocation académique, technologie pédagogique, privatisation de l’enseignement, ascendance de la recherche sur l’enseignement – qui sont d’actualité. Grant était aussi préoccupé par le destin de ce qu’il appelait la particularité au Canada et à l’étranger, et s’inquiétait que la mondialisation économique effacerait les histoires et cultures nationales distinctives. Un état mondial, universel et homogène les remplacerait, ce qui représenterait la pire tyrannie infligée à l’humanité. Grant avait vu venir le populisme de droite que l’on voit actuellement prendre prise notamment au Royaume-Uni et aux États-Unis, comme réaction à ces tendances historiques. Ce livre est publié en anglais.