Philosophical Perspectives on Lifelong Learning: Insights from Education, Engineering, and Economics

Abstract

This chapter is part of a book that aims to provide an accessible, practical and scholarly source of information about the international concern for the philosophy, theory, categories, and concepts of lifelong learning. The chapter comprises two sections. In the first, the authors briefly describe the traditional tools of philosophy (conceptual analysis, ethical reflection, and epistemological critique) and apply them to lifelong learning. In the second section, the authors develop a notion of practical philosophy, drawing on Wittgenstein's call to 'look and see'. This practical philosophy is illustrated by reference to the use of narrative in educational research and the practices of pragmatic disciplines such as engineering. How the empirical world can be looked at from a philosophical perspective is indicated.