Critique of Peters
R. S. Peters and Paul Hirst held that initiation into forms of knowledge is intrinsically worthwhile, defended by a transcendental argument that anyone who asks about its value already presupposes it. John White of the London Institute of Education argued that this cuts the value of knowledge off from people's lives.
Well-being and autonomy
- Early view: in The Aims of Education Restated (1982) well-being meant satisfying one's reflectively chosen desires, so pupils need wide experience of activities and knowledge to choose autonomously.
- Later view: from Education and the Good Life (1990) he revised this, seeing well-being as wholehearted involvement in genuinely worthwhile activities such as relationships, creative work and appreciation of nature.
- Morality: personal well-being is pursued together with concern for others and civic virtues.
Implications
White argued for designing the curriculum backwards from the aim of well-being rather than from traditional subjects, influencing debate on England's national curriculum. Critics note that standards of well-being remain contested.
References
- White, J. (1982). The Aims of Education Restated. Routledge & Kegan Paul.
- White, J. (1990). Education and the Good Life: Beyond the National Curriculum. Kogan Page.
- White, J. (2011). Exploring Well-Being in Schools: A Guide to Making Children's Lives More Fulfilling. Routledge.
- Peters, R. S. (1966). Ethics and Education. Allen & Unwin.