"Transcendentalism" refers to philosophical, religious, and literary beliefs held by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, Amos Bronson Alcott, and other writers in New England during the 1830s and 1840s. Emerson believed in the significance of one's intuition and individuality. He expresses these beliefs in his…

John Dewey's philosophy of education did not arise in a vacuum. Much as Dewey himself would have recognized, his experiences shaped his philosophy. The experiences described include Dewey's time as a boy in Burlington, Vermont; his graduate education at Johns Hopkins University, and his first academic post at the University of Michigan; concluding…

How can we build a path from the binary of gender to the unity of common humanity? What kind of difference can the "different voice" of feminism make as a "human voice?" In this article, Naoko Saito argues that the way we talk about the "difference" of a "different voice" needs to be radically transformed.…

This paper will critically reconsider the potential of Dewey's pragmatist idea of security without foundation. There is some potential in his anti-foundationalism as a form of wisdom for living beyond the risk society. I shall argue that Deweyan critical thinking needs to be further reconstructed, and even to be destabilized, if it is to exercise…

My article is a rejoinder to Gert Biesta's, '"This is My Truth, Tell Me Yours". Deconstructive pragmatism as a philosophy of education.' Biesta attempts to place Jacques Derrida's deconstruction in 'the very heart' of John Dewey's pragmatism (710). My article strives to impress Deweyan pragmatism in the heart of Derridian deconstruction.…

In his essay, "The Heart of a Teacher," educator Parker Palmer (1997b) examines the themes of identity and community which intersect with similar strains in American philosophy, most notably the transcendentalism of Henry David Thoreau. In this article, I argue that transcendental themes help provide insight into these pedagogical issues of…

Deconstruction is often depicted as a method of critical analysis aimed at exposing unquestioned metaphysical assumptions and internal contradictions in philosophical and literary language. Starting from Derrida's contention that deconstruction is not a method and cannot be transformed into one, I make a case for a different attitude towards…

The interview, which took place on the eve of the 2012 American presidential election, coincides with the publication of three major works by or about Hilary Putnam. It begins and ends with the topic of science, drawing attention to science's profound importance but also to its contemporary forms of distortion. It explores Putnam's…

This study aims to identify the approach of teaching curricula of primary courses of religious education and social studies values and to determine the weight of values found in these programs with regard to various aspects such as being open to novelty-conservatism, individualism-being social, nationalism-universalism, self-expansion-self…

One of the more difficult 19th-century American texts for high school students to read is undoubtedly Henry David Thoreau's "Walden." His erudite allusions, often page-long sentences, and sophisticated sense of the ironic initially leave many students cold. Still, the author encourages them to read amid the din of a cultural cacophony that shouts…

Transcendental Learning discusses the work of five figures associated with transcendentalism concerning their views on education. Alcott, Emerson, Fuller, Peabody and Thoreau all taught at one time and held definite views about education. The book explores these conceptions with chapters on each of the five individuals and then focuses the main…

The philosophy of Transcendentalism developed in the early nineteenth century among such thinkers as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, Theodore Parker, George Ripley, Bronson Alcott, and Caleb Sprague Henry. Transcendentalism emphasized the need for social reform that would lead the individual to self-reliance, and education…

Meaning is one of the recent terms which have gained great currency in mathematics education. It is generally used as a correlate of individuals' intentions and considered a central element in contemporary accounts of knowledge formation. One important question that arises in this context is the following: if, in one way or another, knowledge…

Explains an eleventh grade literature unit on Transcendentalism which employed a wide variety of supplemental materials and literary connections and which provided alternate assessment opportunities. Details how this unit revealed meaningful connections through comics, music, free reading, and multiple intelligences. Concludes that many students…

Reviews the purposes of adult education and the history of transcendentalism. Argues that the transcendent nature and needs of humankind are not addressed by adult education theory or practice. Provides implications for adult educators. (CH)