Dewey, Russell, Whitehead: Philosophers As Educators

Hendley argues that philosophers of edu­cation should reject their preoccupation of the past 25years with defining terms and analyzing concepts and once again embrace the philosophical task of con­structing general theories of education.

 

Exemplars of that tradition are John Dewey, Bertrand Russell, and Alfred North Whitehead, who formulated theo­ries of education that were tested. Dewey and Russell ran their own schools, and Whitehead served as a university admin­istrator and as a member of many com­mittees created to study education.

 

After providing a general introduction to the present state of educational phi­losophy, Hendley discusses in detail the educational philosophies of Dewey, Rus­sell, and Whitehead. He sees in these men excellent role models that contem­porary philosophers might well follow. Hendley believes that like these men­tors, philosophers should take a more ac­tive, practical role in education.