Abstract

The introductory essay in this volume examines the relationship between philosophy and common sense as these pertain to educational administration, and suggests that philosophy should become a form of critical self-reflective decision-making that occurs within the domain of social action and does not stop with the achievement of clarity of understanding. Because social action is structured and constrained by the logic and beliefs of common sense, a critique of common sense, grounded in a Marxist dialectic of theory and practice, can liberate social action from unchallenged ways of perceiving and interpreting the world. Thus the proper task of philosophy in the context of administrative action is both critical and emancipatory. Following this essay are four readings by different authors: (1)"Philosophers of Education: Detached Spectators or Political Practitioners?," by K. Harris; (2) "Power, Tradition, and Change: Educational Implications of the Thought of Antonio Gramsci," by G. Mardle; (3) "Piaget, Marx, and the Political Ideology of Schooling," by B. A. Kaufman; and (4) "Making Student 'Types': The Links between Professional and Commonsense Knowledge Systems and Educational Practice," by D. L. Carlson. An annotated bibliography is included. (TE)