Philosophy of Development

Philosophy of development is a fascinating area of research at the intersection of philosophy, psychology, and education. This book is unique in that it combines a broad sketch of contemporary developmental theory with detailed discussions of its central issues, in order to construct a general framework for understanding and analyzing theories of individual and collective development in various domains ranging from cognitive and moral development to developments in art. Special attention is also given to the rich relations between conceptual development and education.

One Theoretical Framework. - 1. Philosophy of development: an invitation. - 2. The concept of development. - 3. Models of human development. - 4. Foundational development. - 5. Reconstruction and explanation of foundational development. - 6. Evaluative claims about foundational development. - Two Theories of Individual and Collective Development. - 7. Dimensions of individual and collective development in various domains. - 8. Cognitive development. - 9. Moral development. - 10. Aesthetic development. - 11. Scientific development. - 12. Societal development. - 13. Artistic development. - Three Development and Education. - 14. Conceptual development and education. - 15. Education and the development of personal autonomy. - Four Philosophical Context. - 16. Structuralist and hermeneutic approaches to development. - 17. Developmental philosophy and postmodernism. - References. - About the authors.