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Ethical Visions of Education
The Teachers College Press of Columbia University recently
published Ethical Visions of Education: Philosophies in
Practice, edited by Professor David Hansen of Columbia
University Teachers College and developed by the Boston
Research Center for the 21st Century (BRC). The book
features the ideas of some of the 20th century's most
dynamic and courageous educational philosophers, including
John Dewey, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, Maria Montessori,
Rabindranath Tagore and Rudolf Steiner.
In a lecture held at BRC in February, Dr. Hansen explored
the key philosophical differences between some of the best
known figures in the book. Dr. Hansen clarified the concept
of what he calls "cosmopolitan education," and proposed an
approach to education that not only validates and accepts
difference but, in a profound way, is shaped and energized
by it.
In the book's foreword, BRC founder Daisaku Ikeda
underscores the importance of pursuing happiness for oneself
and others in contrast to merely being concerned with one's
own well-being. He stresses that humanistic education, which
focuses on unlocking the unlimited potential of the
individual, will play a key role in this paradigm shift.
Several universities have already requested to use
Ethical Visions as a textbook in their curricula.
President Larry Hickman of the Dewey Society said the book
is morally empowering and confronts the standardization,
commercialization and politicization that increasingly
threaten schools today.
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