MACMILLAN Contemporary Philosophical Proposals for the University: Toward a Philosophy of Higher Education

This edited collection brings together a robust range of philosophers who offer theoretically and critically informed proposals regarding the aims, policies, and structures of the university. The collection fills a major gap in the landscape of higher education theory and practice while concurrently reviving a long and often forgotten discourse within the discipline of philosophy. It includes philosophers from across the globe representing disparate philosophical schools, as well as various career stages, statuses, and standpoints within the university. There is also a diversity in method, approach and style, which varies from personal narratives and case studies, to philosophical genealogies, to traditional philosophical essays, and to systematic theories. The collection can serve as a theoretical resource for critically minded administrators and faculty who wish to analyze and change policies and structures at their home institutions. It will introduce them to a wide range of possible educational imaginaries, as well as provide them with productive suggestions for pragmatic change on campuses. Review “The editors of this exciting new collection argue that university professors lack shared vocabularies for diagnosing the university’s current problems and deliberating together to resolve them. Each chapter then provides the critical resources, new vocabularies, and modes of organizing to move toward solutions. Readers will come away ready and eager to join a renewed dialogue about the future of the university.” (Leonard Waks, Professor Emeritus of Educational Leadership at Temple University, USA) “The university is one of civilization’s preeminent institutions because it was designed to lead, rather than follow, social development. Today, other social forces feel entitled to infiltrate and manage higher education. Philosophy created the university, and is responsible for sustaining its vision for tomorrow. This collection of timely essays is required reading for anyone still daring to think that education should fulfill a higher purpose.” (John R. Shook, Adjunct Professor of Learning and Instruction, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, USA) From the Back Cover This edited collection brings together a robust range of philosophers who offer theoretically and critically informed proposals regarding the aims, policies, and structures of the university. The collection fills a major gap in the landscape of higher education theory and practice while concurrently reviving a long and often forgotten discourse within the discipline of philosophy. It includes philosophers from across the globe representing disparate philosophical schools, as well as various career stages, statuses, and standpoints within the university. There is also a diversity in method, approach and style, which varies from personal narratives and case studies, to philosophical genealogies, to traditional philosophical essays, and to systematic theories. The collection can serve as a theoretical resource for critically minded administrators and faculty who wish to analyze and change policies and structures at their home institutions. It will introduce them to a wide range of possible educational imaginaries, as well as provide them with productive suggestions for pragmatic change on campuses. About the Author Aaron Stoller is Director of First Year Experience at Colorado College, USA. Eli Kramer is an affiliated researcher at the Department of the Philosophy of Culture at the University of Warsaw Institute of Philosophy, Poland. He is also a Philosophy PhD Candidate at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, USA.