PapersFlow Research Brief
Education, Philosophy, and Society
Research Guide
What is Education, Philosophy, and Society?
Education, Philosophy, and Society is a field that examines the intersection of philosophical principles, educational practices, and societal structures, with a focus on Alasdair MacIntyre's ideas about teaching as a practice, ethics of teaching, and related topics such as Aristotelian philosophy and critical inquiry.
This field clusters 4,030 works exploring philosophy's role in education and society. Key discussions center on whether teaching qualifies as a practice per MacIntyre's framework, as debated by Nel Noddings. Topics include ethics, moral education through emulation, and resistance to neoliberal pressures in academia.
Topic Hierarchy
Research Sub-Topics
Teaching as a Practice
This sub-topic examines Alasdair MacIntyre's conceptualization of teaching as a social practice with internal goods and standards of excellence. Researchers investigate its implications for teacher identity, professional development, and resistance to neoliberal educational reforms.
Ethics of Teaching
This area explores moral responsibilities of educators, drawing on virtue ethics and Aristotelian traditions to address dilemmas in classroom practice and curriculum design. Studies analyze ethical decision-making, role modeling, and the cultivation of moral character in students.
Educational Aims
Researchers debate the purpose of education through lenses of virtue ethics, human flourishing, and communal goods, often critiquing utilitarian or market-driven goals. Focus includes MacIntyre's critique of modern educational fragmentation and proposals for narrative-based aims.
Emulation and Role Models in Moral Education
This sub-topic studies Aristotelian emulation as a mechanism for moral development, where learners imitate virtuous exemplars to acquire habits and virtues. Investigations cover its application in curricula, limitations in diverse societies, and empirical outcomes in character education programs.
MacIntyre on Virtue and Organization
Scholars apply MacIntyre's virtue ethics to institutional contexts like universities and schools, analyzing how practices sustain or erode virtues amid managerialism. Research critiques organizational structures and proposes virtue-centered alternatives for professional communities.
Why It Matters
This field addresses practical challenges in education and academia, such as neoliberal demands compressing productivity and isolating scholars, countered by collective feminist resistance in 'For Slow Scholarship: A Feminist Politics of Resistance through Collective Action in the Neoliberal University' (Mountz et al., 2015), which received 798 citations. It critiques deprofessionalization in social work amid market forces, as analyzed in 'Deprofessionalizing Social Work: Anti-Oppressive Practice, Competencies and Postmodernism' (Dominelli, 1996, 338 citations), impacting professional training globally. Applications extend to moral education via Aristotelian emulation using role models ('Emulation and the use of role models in moral education', Kristjánsson, 2006, 208 citations) and organizational virtues ('MacIntyre on Virtue and Organization', Beadle and Moore, 2006, 166 citations), informing ethics in teaching and higher education policy.
Reading Guide
Where to Start
'Is Teaching a Practice?' by Nel Noddings (2003) serves as the starting point because it directly engages Alasdair MacIntyre's core ideas on practices, central to this field, in an accessible debate format with clear challenges to his claims.
Key Papers Explained
Noddings (2003) in 'Is Teaching a Practice?' critiques MacIntyre's exclusion of teaching as a practice, setting up Beadle and Moore (2006)'s 'MacIntyre on Virtue and Organization,' which applies MacIntyre's virtue framework to professional settings. Kristjánsson (2006)'s 'Emulation and the use of role models in moral education' extends Aristotelian elements debated by Noddings into moral pedagogy. Mountz et al. (2015)'s 'For Slow Scholarship: A Feminist Politics of Resistance through Collective Action in the Neoliberal University' and Nixon et al. (2001)'s 'Towards a New Academic Professionalism: A manifesto of hope' build on these by addressing practice ethics in neoliberal academia.
Paper Timeline
Most-cited paper highlighted in red. Papers ordered chronologically.
Advanced Directions
Current discussions build on MacIntyre's influence in education and professional ethics, as seen in high-citation works like Dominelli (1996) on social work deprofessionalization, but no recent preprints or news in the last 12 months indicate ongoing debates in established journals.
Papers at a Glance
| # | Paper | Year | Venue | Citations | Open Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | For Slow Scholarship: A Feminist Politics of Resistance throug... | 2015 | Open Collections | 798 | ✓ |
| 2 | Deprofessionalizing Social Work: Anti-Oppressive Practice, Com... | 1996 | The British Journal of... | 338 | ✕ |
| 3 | Cardenismo: Juggernaut or Jalopy? | 1994 | Journal of Latin Ameri... | 285 | ✕ |
| 4 | Is Teaching a Practice? | 2003 | Journal of Philosophy ... | 213 | ✕ |
| 5 | Emulation and the use of role models in moral education | 2006 | Journal of Moral Educa... | 208 | ✕ |
| 6 | Council on Higher Education | 2010 | — | 179 | ✕ |
| 7 | Zainichi (Koreans in Japan): Diasporic Nationalism and Postcol... | 2008 | eScholarship (Californ... | 176 | ✓ |
| 8 | MacIntyre on Virtue and Organization | 2006 | Organization Studies | 166 | ✓ |
| 9 | Towards a New Academic Professionalism: A manifesto of hope | 2001 | British Journal of Soc... | 134 | ✕ |
| 10 | Marketing education in the postmodern age | 1993 | Journal of Education P... | 128 | ✕ |
Latest Developments
Recent developments in Education, Philosophy, and Society research include a focus on the philosophical treatment of educational practice and policy, with upcoming conferences and calls for papers exploring themes such as place, belonging, and ethics in education, as well as critical discussions on the risks and impacts of AI in schools as of early 2026 (Philosophy of Education Society, NAAPE, NPR, EdWeek).
Sources
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main argument in 'Is Teaching a Practice?'
Nel Noddings (2003) argues that Alasdair MacIntyre errs in claiming teaching is not a practice and merely a means. She challenges his view that teaching lacks intrinsic ends and questions his universal list of student learnings. Her analysis shows teaching aligns with practice criteria through its standards and narrative coherence.
How does 'For Slow Scholarship: A Feminist Politics of Resistance through Collective Action in the Neoliberal University' address academic pressures?
Mountz et al. (2015) document neoliberal universities demanding high productivity in short time frames, leading to isolation and poor work conditions. They propose feminist slow scholarship via collective action as resistance. The paper highlights embodied effects rarely discussed in neoliberal critiques.
What does 'Emulation and the use of role models in moral education' cover?
Kristjánsson (2006) explores Aristotelian emulation as an emotional virtue for moral education. He evaluates character-education uses of role models and argues for emulation's relevance to enhance these strategies. The approach draws on ancient philosophy for contemporary applications.
How is MacIntyre's work applied to organizations?
Beadle and Moore (2006) introduce Alasdair MacIntyre's virtue ethics to organization studies in 'MacIntyre on Virtue and Organization'. They outline his concepts for new readers and suggest developments for experts. The paper connects philosophy to professional practices.
What is the focus of 'Deprofessionalizing Social Work'?
Dominelli (1996) examines how globalization and market forces affect social work education and practice in Britain. She critiques competencies and postmodernism in anti-oppressive practice. The analysis shows flux driven by economic internationalization.
What does 'Towards a New Academic Professionalism: A manifesto of hope' propose?
Nixon et al. (2001) advocate a new professional ethic for academics amid higher education changes. They explore ways staff can enact hopeful professionalism. The manifesto stimulates debate on ethical developments.
Open Research Questions
- ? Does teaching qualify as a coherent practice with intrinsic goods under MacIntyre's criteria?
- ? How can Aristotelian emulation improve role-model strategies in modern moral education?
- ? What organizational structures best support virtue ethics from MacIntyre?
- ? In what ways do neoliberal market forces deprofessionalize fields like social work and academia?
- ? How might collective slow scholarship resist productivity demands in universities?
Recent Trends
The field maintains 4,030 works with no specified 5-year growth rate; top-cited papers from 1993-2015, such as Mountz et al. (2015, 798 citations) and Dominelli (1996, 338 citations), show sustained interest in neoliberal impacts on education and professions.
No recent preprints or news coverage in the last 6-12 months signals stable rather than rapidly expanding activity.
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