For two reasons, we are particularly proud to include Wolfgang Brezinka's Philosophy of Educational Knowledge in this series of books on Philosophy of Education. Thefirst is the philosophicalinterestoftheworkitself-its remarkablescholarship and the importance ofthe philosophical positionswill beobvious to allreaders. The secondisthat it brings to the English-speaking world a wonderful example ofeducational philosophy as now being practiced in the German-speaking world. All too often philosophers in the Anglo-American tradition have not seen the sort of perspective on educational thinking that infuses this work. And since this book has been widely read in its original version, it has had a considerable impactupon philosophy ofeducational research and science in the German-speaking countries. An understanding of this may help in the development of evenmore cooperativerelations amongstudentsofeducationin all countries. C. 1. B. Macmillan D. C. Phillips PREFACE TO THE ENGLISH EDmON '1 am not unmindful how little can be done... in a mere treatise on Logic, or howvague and unsatisfactory all precepts of Method must necessarily appear, when not practically exemplified in the establishment of a body of doctrine. Doubtless, the most effectual mode of showing how the sciences... maybe constructed,would be to construct them". JOHNSTUARTMILL (1843)1 Parents have a duty to educate their children, teachers to educate their pupils. For this reason there is widespread interest in education. Knowledge of education has long beenoffered under names like"pedagogics", "pedagogy"or"educational theory". Originally this meant practical knowledge based on common sense. Since the Enlightenment, however, attempts have been made to acquire scientific knowledge of education.

Inhalt

Introduction: Pedagogics, Science and Metatheory.- Lack of Agreement on the Scientific Character of Pedagogics Critique of the Present State of Pedagogics 2; Doubts about the Possibility of a Scientific Pedagogics 3; Scientific and Practical Theories of Education 4; Pedagogics as a Mixed Normative-Descriptive Discipline 5; Pedagogics as a Philosophical Discipline 5; Gradual Transition to Ideological Pedagogics 6, Pedagogics as a Pure Empirical Science 7; Numerous Schools of Thought 8; Reasons for the Lack of Agreement 9.- The Origins of Pedagogics in Practical Theories of Education Education as an Art 11; Educational Theories as Prescriptions for the Art of Educating 12; Informing and Inspiring Educators 13; Dominance of the Normative Standpoint 14; Elements of Traditional Pedagogics 14; Dissatisfaction and Critique 15; The Modern Concept of Science as a Standard for Pedagogics 16.- The Dependency of Pedagogics on Value Judgements, Norms and Weltanschauung The Indispensability of a Philosophy of Life in Practical Theories of Education 18; The Misinterpretation of Practical Theory as Scientific Theory 19; Ideology and Pedagogics 20; Ideology and Empirical Theory 22.- Reasons for Distinguishing between Types of Pedagogical Knowledge. The Deficiencies of Mixed Pedagogics 23; Division of Labor and Specialization 24; Three Classes of Educational Theories. Educational Science, Philosophy of Education, Practical Pedagogics 24; Terminological Problems 26; Practical Importance of Agreement on Usage 26; Differentiation of Pedagogical Statement Systems rather than the Classification of Educationists 27; Truth and Social Utility of Statement Systems 28.- Concepts of Science and Methodological Rules as Stipulations Science as a System of Statements and as an Activity 28; The Ideal of Science 29; Basic Epistemological Positions 29; Knowledge as the Goal of Scientific Activity 30; The Epistemology of Analytic Philosophy 31.- The Tasks of a Metatheory of Education The Concept of Metatheory 33; Analysis, Critique and Standardization of Educational Theories 33; Relationships among Education, Educational Theories and Metatheory of Education 35.- I. Science of Education.- The Concept of Education Social Action 38; Psychic Dispositions 39; Purposes, Aims and Ideals 40; Definition of the Concept of Education 40.- The Variety of Educational Phenomena Different Aims of Education 43; Differences among Educands 45; Differences Among Educators 46; Different Situations 46; Different Forms of Education 47.- The Subject Matter of Science of Education. Education as Fact 48; Educational Situations, Educational Fields 49; Principal Topics 49; Material Object and Formal Object 49; Formulation of Questions 50; Description and Explanation of Psychic Objectivations 51; Ends-Means Relationships 53; Educational Science as a Teleological Causal-Analytic Science 53; Different Names for the Same Problems 57.- Science of Education as an Empirical Social Science Difficulties in Classifying Sciences 58; Human Sciences 59; Behavioral Sciences 60; Sciences of Actions 61; Cultural Sciences 61; Social Sciences 63; Relationships to Psychology and Sociology 63; Practical Grounds for an Autonomous Science of Education 63.- Demarcating Science of Education from the Pseudo-Science of Ideological Pedagogics. Confessional Pedagogics 65; Political Pedagogics 66; Marxist Pedagogics 66; "Critical" Social Science 67; "Critical" or "Emancipatory Pedagogics" 67; Misuse of Science for Propaganda Purposes 68; Value-Neutrality as a Distinguishing Feature 69.- Requirements for the Language of Science of Education Descriptive, Prescriptive and Emotive Use of Language 70; Clarity 72; Ambiguity and Vagueness 72; Concepts and Their Clarification 73; Normative and Emotive Connotations 75; "Socialization" as an Example 76; Theoretical Concepts 77; Hypothetical Constructs 78; Informational Content 78; Comprehensibility 79; Objective Language and Meta-Language 82.- The Meaning and Limits of the Requirement of Value-Neutrality Educating and Valuating 82; Value Experience, Valuating, Value Bearer 83; Value 83; Value Judgements 83; Norms 85; Valuative Basis of Science 86; Moral Problems in Disseminating and Applying Scientific Knowledge 88; Valuations and Norms as Subjects or Educational Science 88; Explanation of the Norm of Value-Neutrality 89.- Questions about Particulars and Questions about the Universal in the Past and the Present Individual Phenomena and Nomothetical Knowledge 93; Historiography of Education 95; Nomothetical or Theoretical Educational Science 96.- Ia. The Nomothetical Field of Study in Science of Education.- Problems and Hypotheses as Points of Departure Observation and Prior Knowledge 101; Descriptive Pedagogics 102; Critique of Naive Empiricism 102.- Scientific Theories as the Goal of Research Meanings of the Word "Theory" 103; The Concept of Justification 104; The Call for Intersubjective Testability 104; Nomological Statements 106; Nomological Statements of a Lower and Higher Order 111; Theory as a System of Nomological Statements 111.- On the Difference between Producing and Justifying Scientific Statement Systems Tolerance in the Context of Discovery 113; Rigorousness in the Context of Justification 114; Meaning and the Limits of "Sympathetic Understanding" (Verstehen) 114.- Testing, Justifying and Rejecting Hypotheses and Theories Logical and Empirical Testing Procedures 116; The Problem of Induction 117; Falsification 119; Reasonable Rejection 120; Confirmation 120; Theory and Experience 121.- Laws and Theories in the Social Sciences The Lack of Universal Nomological Statements 123; Subject-Matter-Related Differences between the Natural and Social Sciences 124; Inaccessibility of others' Consciousness and the Necessity of Interpreting 124; Complexity 125; Uniqueness and Changeability 125; Complex Totalities of Experience instead of Elements 126; Possibility and Indispensability of Nomological Knowledge 126.- The Construction and Application of Theories in Science of Education The Interest of Educators in Problems of Application 127; Primary Importance of Theory Construction 128.- The Role of the Determination of Facts in Constru…