The ethos of postmodernity and the politics of education

Forged at the intersection of three orientations in philosophical thought, this project examines the contours of a philosophical framework from which we may understand and support a radical critical pedagogy suited to the contemporary ethos. Various themes common to Postmodernist , Feminist , and Pragmatist orientations in philosophy are discussed as they apply to a democratic philosophy of education. This theoretical integration supports a democratic ethic and a method of equipollence in education, requiring the suspension of dogmatic belief and a radical reflection on the socially embedded nature of human beings and the multiplicity of experiential truths. It is argued that this form of critical thinking is required for the postmodern ethos in which we now find ourselves and at all levels of education. By implication, the project supports an engaged critical pedagogy and the philosophy for children movement in the advancement of liberatory critical thinking