That process philosophy can be the foundation of the theory and practice of educating human beings is the main argument of this book. The process philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947) is the particular thinking on which this book is based. Readers are shown that Whitehead's process philosophy provides a frame, a conceptual matrix, that addresses their concerns about education and offers direction for their educative acts. Whitehead theorized that all living entities are connected in some way. Relatedness, connectedness, and holism are recurring themes in this exploration of Whitehead's implied philosophy of education. Whitehead never wrote a philosophy of education, but his writings over a period of nearly thirty years reveal a persistent interest and concern with education. His work, ranging from Introduction to Mathematics (1911) to Adventures of Ideas (1938), is drawn on here to construct, not Whitehead's philosophy of education, but, a Whiteheadian philosophy of education. Whitehead and Philosophy of Education brings to scholars and students of education an understanding of Whitehead as an important figure in philosophy, particularly philosophy of education; an acquaintance with process philosophy; a brief treatment of Whitehead's life and an account of events and experiences that influenced his philosophizing; and an exploration of the educationally salient concepts found in Whitehead's formal and informal philosophy with special attention to Whitehead's ideas about creativity, process, rhythm, wisdom, and knowledge. Whitehead writes of phases of the rhythm of education - romance, precision, and generalization. The book is organized with attention to these three phases. Part One-Romance introduces readers to Whitehead the person, and the change of context for educating from a mechanistic world-view to an organismic one. Part Two-Precision examines Whitehead's writings, as they relate to process philosophy and to educating. Part Three-Generalization is an application of the explorations of Parts One and Two, yielding a construction of a Whiteheadian philosophy of education and suggestions for educational practice.

Process thought is the foundation for studies in many areas of contemporary philosophy, theology, political theory, educational theory, and the religion-science dialogue. It is derived from Alfred North Whitehead's philosophy, known as process theology, which lays a groundwork for integrating evolutionary biology, physics, philosophy of mind, theology, environmental ethics, religious pluralism, education, economics, and more. In Process-Relational Philosophy, C. Robert Mesle breaks down Whitehead's complex writings, providing a simple but accurate introduction to the vision that underlies much of contemporary process philosophy and theology. In doing so, he points to a "way beyond both reductive materialism and the traps of Cartesian dualism by showing reality as a relational process in which minds arise from bodies, in which freedom and creativity are foundational to process, in which the relational power of persuasion is more basic than the unilateral power of coercion." Because process-relational philosophy addresses the deep intuitions of a relational world basic to environmental and global thinking, it is being incorporated into undergraduate and graduate courses in philosophy, educational theory and practice, environmental ethics, and science and values, among others. Process-Relational Philosophy: A Basic Introduction makes Whitehead's creative vision accessible to all students and general readers.

Presents the texts of a series of lectures delivered between 1912 and 1928 on the purposes and practice of education.

The basic aims of contemporary thinking in education are to cultivate a proper comprehension of the meaning and purpose of education and the role of the teacher, and to develop adequate theoretical and methodological frameworks that combine some of the positive sides of the leading theories, while avoiding their disadvantages. Toward these ends, one excellent candidate for consideration is Alfred North Whitehead’s (1861-1947) process-relational philosophy of education, as set forth in The Aims of Education (1929) and elsewhere. The contributors to this volume analyze Whitehead’s philosophy of education in a detailed and critical fashion, including inquiring into the development of cycle-based approaches to education, like Whitehead’s, in intellectual history as well as its potential objective bases. They also demonstrate how this relates to, and can be integrated with, other leading theories of education and contemporary pedagogical thinking, and identify avenues for its positive, practical application in schooling across the globe as well as in scientific research. The book further critically evaluates current educational practices and the organization of educational institutions in this light and the effectiveness of teaching strategies that are founded upon some of its principles, while also exploring the ramifications of its selection and application in education for society in general, as well as for our common civilizational aspirations, including humanity’s addressing of global problems, such as the ecological crisis. In addition, the volume also serves to lay some of the groundwork for its potential further development.

This book shows clearly how philosophy can be applied to education in an effective manner. It is applied metaphysics in the fullest sense—a truly practical philosophy book. Robert Brumbaugh shows convincingly how our current educational practices are based on a metaphysics derived from seventeenth-century physics. Our modern understanding of reality implies a very different view of education and very different educational practices. He also shows how and why this new process view of education differs from the "back to basics" diagnosis and prescription.

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