Sven Erik Nordenbo

Justification of Paternalism in Education

Abstract: Nordcnbo, S.E. 1986. .Justiliealion of Paternalism in Education. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research 30, 121‐139. Paternalism is accepted as a normal feature of education and upbringing, although it is generally only acceptable where special circumstances justify an intervention. This raises the question of whether educational paternalism requires justification, and whether justifying circumstances are present in educational situations. A systematic presentation is first given of the theories of justification normally applied to paternalistic acts, i.e. (a) pseudo‐paternalism, (b) consequentialism, and (c) consent‐based theories. The validity of four common arguments for educational paternalism is then discussed; these are (i) education is necessary, (ii) children are ignorant, (iii) children are unable to choose, (iv) future consent. It is concluded that child‐paternalism in education is more difficult to justify than everyday educational activities would seem to suggest.

Teaching Computer Technology to Adult Computer Novices. Normative Didactics Based on Adults’ Perception of Information Technology

Abstract On the basis of a previous investigation of the global understandings found among adult computer novices, this article deals with two problems: (i) how can the results of a qualitative investigation be formulated so as to make them practically available for teachers? and (ii) how can the gap be bridged between the results of the descriptive investigation and the implied normative directions for teaching? The first problem is solved with the aid of a procedure called ‘theophrastisation’, which gives a literary reformulation of the empirical findings. The second problem is dealt with first by discriminating between critical normative didactics and constructive normative didactics. It is next shown how the empirical findings can be used to criticise the didactics in current use in the field of computing, and to constitute a constructive normative didactics. The article concludes with some general remarks on prospects which the investigation opens up for research into the teaching of adults.

Forty Years of the Philosophy of Education in the Nordic Countries

Abstract The authors of this sections article are of the opinion that the ‘pure’ philosophers in Scandinavia do not usually consider philosophy of education to be a philosophical discipline in line with other ‘hyphenated’ philosophies. They argue that the way that philosophy of education is viewed in the Nordic countries is more like how it is treated in English‐speaking countries, which is different from the German tradition where Bildung is historically both an educational and a philosophical concept. But Nordic contributors to philosophy of education, inspired by the main philosophical trends of the time, have perceived themselves in the last few decades as partakers in the general philosophical conversation from within a philosophical discipline defined by the basic questions of education as a cultural, political and individual practice. The article in this section presents a description of the development of educational philosophy in the five Nordic countries during the past four decades.

Danish Didactics: an outline of history and research

Abstract Since didactical thinking has very long historical roots within European education, Nordic didactical research from the post‐war period has to be presented against the historical back‐ground. The three articles in this section from Denmark, Finland and Norway, demonstrate different national historical trends and their influences on research and theorizing. The Danish contribution gives in its first section some figures concerning research positions in general didactics in Denmark, followed in the second section by remarks on the application of the concept of didactics before presenting in the third section the past Danish implicit didactic forms and past Danish implicit didactic forms and past contributions to explicit Danish didactics. In the fourth section the contribution of Carl Aage Larsen in the 1960s is discussed as is the criticism of this contribution that arose in the 1970s and 1980s. In the last section an attempt is made to characterize developmental trends in Danish didactics during ...

Externalism and Internalism in the History of Educational Theory - in defence of historical constructivism

ABSTRACT The aim of the present article is to argue that a historical account of the development of educational theory should be based methodologically on an internalist approach. The article is divided into two main sections. In the first section three general problems in the theory of history are discussed—the semantic problem: ‘What do we mean by a historical account?‘—the epistemological problem: ‘What do we mean by saying that the account is correct or true?‘—and the ontological problem: ‘What can the account be said to be about?’ After a short reference to the viewpoints of common‐sense and traditional historiography, the section is dedicated to a discussion of historical realism. It is shown that two arguments can be raised against the position of historical realism—an epistemological argument based on historical scepticism and a semantic argument based on the ‘antirealists challenge’ in the philosophy of language. The conclusion arrived at is that the position of historical constructivism answers...

Children's Rights, die Antipädagogen, and the Paternalism of John Stuart Mill

Abstract: Nordenbo, S. E. 1987. Childrens Rights, die Antipadagogen, and the Paternalism of John Stuart Mill. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research 31, 163‐180. In recent decades it has been maintained by some contemporary heirs to the tradition of progressive education that children must be regarded as a ‘subjugated’ section of the population, and that support for this view can be found in John Stuart Mills moral and political philosophy. This article attempts a closer examination of this latter claim. It can be shown that Mills ‘principle of liberty’ must be understood according to the strategic theory of moral rules, and that it can thus be argued that paternalism towards children is justifiable, which is what Mill maintains. From this reading of Mill it follows that proponents of ‘educational liberalism’ are not justified in claiming Mill as spokesman for their views.