Reflection and Action in Anglophone Philosophy of Education. Challenges and Inspirations

This chapter explores recent Anglophone versions of philosophical reflection in education from a perspective that is Continental European; but it is not its intention to contribute to any divisions or tensions between different ways of pursuing philosophical reflection itself. It is still all too often said that Continental styles of thinking on education substantially differ from those originating in the English-speaking world. Despite the efforts to bridge the gap between analytic and Continental in philosophy of education, undertaken among others by Michael Peters (cf. Peters, 2004, pp. 104–106), it seems to me that there is still a strong tendency in contemporary educational theory to compare, juxtapose and rank two differing approaches. The situation raises some doubts and questions. What is really at stake in emphasising divisions between Anglo-analytic and Continental style philosophising? How does the divide influence the way the Anglophone philosophy of education is perceived in other linguistic cultures? Although I take questions concerning the divide seriously, I am rather interested in this chapter in illuminating what the division reveals about the current condition of philosophy of education in European cultures. In other words, I devote the body of this chapter to attempting to trace what the divide means for philosophical research in education and for understanding its domain.