The Educational Writings of John Locke

Abstract

John Locke (1632–1704) is widely regarded as one of the most influential of the Enlightenment philosophers. This volume, edited by J. W. Adamson and published as a second edition in 1922, contains two of John Locke's essays concerning education; Some Thoughts Concerning Education (1693) and Of the Conduct of the Understanding (1706). Some Thoughts Concerning Education expands on Locke's pioneering theory of mind by explaining how to educate a child using three complementary methods: the development of a healthy body; the formation of a virtuous mind; and the pursuit of an academic curriculum including the emerging sciences, mathematics and languages. Of the Conduct of the Understanding continues the theme of the earlier essay by describing how to develop rational thought. For over a century after the publication of these essays, John Locke's views on education were considered authoritative, and his work was translated into almost all major European languages.

Is Liberal Society a Parasite on Tradition?

“…The great merit of these three authors is that they addressed the problem of the cultural dynamics that might underpin the institutions they advocated. But neither Locke's appeal to a gentlemanly home schooling, 15 nor Mill's confidence that citizens in a liberal society will "spontaneously" adopt other-regarding preferences, 16 nor Rawls's belief that members of just associations will develop "bonds of friendship and trust" and through these "an attachment to the principles of justice" 17 provide reasons or evidence to think that these mechanisms entrusted with the perpetuation of liberal values would accomplish that end. In these and other works, either the mechanism whereby a liberal culture could be sustained is not explained, or the reader is given no empirical evidence that the mechanism in question is up to the task.…”

Situated Learning: Conceptualization and Measurement

“…Existing theories of learning can be categorized as prebehaviorist, behaviorist, processual, and contemporary. Prebehaviorist theories stem from an enquiry of how humans learn by philosophers, such as John Locke (1912) and Immanuel Kant (1998). While Locke believed the human mind to be a tabula rasa on which experiences were written, Kant believed in innate operations and knowledge independent of external experiences.…”

Towards a Theory of e-Learning: Experimental Learning

“…One enduring educational philosophy which may provide a tried and tested foundation for e-learning is experiential learning. This has been investigated and described by many influential writers including Aristotle (1946), Plato (1953) and Locke (1968), and by more recent proponents including Dewey (1938), Revans (1982) and Kolb (1984).…”