Herzog Foundation’s Post

Congratulations to our Head of Department, Prof Johan Wassermann, and Dr Kate Angier on their recent publication! Their chapter, "The epistemic considerations of PGCE-history students – a South African case study", has been published in the book "Teachers and the Epistemology of History". This chapter explores the epistemological considerations of Post Graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) students studying History Methodology at two South African universities. Key findings include: - "History is present": Students recognize the relevance of history in understanding current issues. - "History is personal": Students connect history to their own experiences and identities. - "History is an African perspective": Students emphasize the importance of African perspectives in history education. This research highlights the importance of critical reflection in history teacher education and will inform pedagogical choices and course design. Read the book here: https://lnkd.in/daum_K_e Let's celebrate Prof Wassermann and Dr Angier's valuable contribution to history education! #HistoryEducation #TeacherEducation #Epistemology #PGCE"

As Christian educators, its our responsibility to teach truth in every subject that we cover in our classrooms. This month on the blog, Dr. Gallagher shares practical tips and essential questions for providing biblical integration in science courses. Read more here: https://bit.ly/3U8r7u1 #christianeducation #biblicalworldview

🔎 ➡️ Did you know Concordia University Irvine's Enduring Questions & Ideas signature curriculum prompts students to ask big questions and explore big ideas through paired courses like Math & Philosophy, Biology & Theology, and History & Literature? Learn more about this #college on CX! #colleges #highered #highereducation #collegesanduniversities #collegesearch #collegeadmission #exploringcolleges #students #highschoolstudents #collegestudents

I am delighted to learn that excerpts of my Doctoral Thesis has now been published by the University. You can get the PDF via the link below 👇 https://lnkd.in/dYQYZxpu

Here Alana and I work together to help her decipher the paragraph below on "Scientific Objectivity" from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. The goal is to work with her to understand difficult prose. At the end, she has the beginning of an understanding of what scientific objectivity might be. It turns out that one of her challenges in understanding is a limited understanding of how "science" can be false. It is natural, and to be expected, that hitherto her connection to science has been as an authoritative discipline. But in order to appreciate scientific objectivity as an ideal (indeed as an important ideal) she will need to become aware of the ways in which bias can distort the scientific endeavor in various ways. Again, the goal is not to get to a comprehensive understanding of these complex issues. It is merely to work together towards greater understanding of this one paragraph below, which was largely opaque to her when we started: "Scientific objectivity is a property of various aspects of science. It expresses the idea that scientific claims, methods, results—and scientists themselves—are not, or should not be, influenced by particular perspectives, value judgments, community bias or personal interests, to name a few relevant factors. Objectivity is often considered to be an ideal for scientific inquiry, a good reason for valuing scientific knowledge, and the basis of the authority of science in society." https://lnkd.in/gjR7a7Vx

ALEXANDER THE GREAT AND ARISTOTLE, THE SECRET TEACHING  CHAPTER 7: I WILL TEACH YOU TO THINK INTRODUCTION The manner in which the present work is written proves the author’s profound knowledge on the “way of thinking” of Aristotle the Great. The “philosophical continuity” of the “on Nature and the Sciences” views of the Stagirite mogul of Human Intellect and the way in which the discipleship of Alexander the Great becomes extremely energetic and educational, through the author, in no way lacking the proven thought of Aristotle, constitute the most important aspect of the work. The author’s thesis to make Alexander ‘Great’, before he comes of age, before he takes in his hands ‘shield and spear’ and the demonstrative method of Aristotelian imperatives and laws on the moral meaning of ‘Great’, modify the hitherto held beliefs about the conquering qualities of the son of Philip, making Aristotle’s Doctrine of Education still relevant. The amount of useful information, on behalf of the young students and the practiced “midwifery” of Aristotle for the successful externalization of the ideologies or mental positions of the adolescent students of Pella, especially, the son of Philip Alexander, make the present book of Pavlos Pissanos, extremely useful for today’s and tomorrow’s students and also for the students of Aristotle’s philosophy, scientists, researchers, professors and intellectuals.   Athens, April 2005 EVANGELOS MOUTSOPOULOS Academician Emeritus Professor of Philosophy University of Athens To read Chapter 7 of the book fully illustrated, click on the following link: https://lnkd.in/dinhNNQU To buy the book, click on the following link: https://lnkd.in/dGsMeYde

In various ways my academic work has been concerned for a long time with epistemological questions, especially in the context of history education. I have just had the pleasure of having a chapter published in an excellent collection edited by Henrik Åström Elmersjö and Paul Zanazanian. My personal chapter is focused on: "Epistemic fluency and the pedagogical challenge of fake news, historical denial, and rival histories". The entire collection is titled "Teachers and the Epistemology of History", and has been published by Palgrave Macmillan as an open access text that can be downloaded free from the following link: https://lnkd.in/g_g2NKi8

Happy to share (linked below) my latest piece on 'post-truth' - a write-up of a presentation I gave at the 2022 FAPSA (Federation of Asia-Pacific Philosophy in Schools Associations) conference. In this piece, I seek to develop a 'post-modern realism', informed by pragmatist philosophy. Specifically, I ponder how teachers might best approach the issue of truth in the classroom, now that traditional models of truth-transmission have been problematised by ‘second-order awareness’ of the apparent social construction of any given ‘truth-game’. Does this mean the whole concept of truth must be given up, as claimed by Richard Rorty (and many others in his wake)? "No", I argue. Drawing on Peirce’s theorisation of the ‘community of inquiry’, I argue that as educators our best response to the ‘post-truth’ phenomenon is to pay less attention to our theories, in which we show up to truth-sceptics as experts, and more attention to our own epistemic practices, in which we show up as fellow persons. In any real-world encounter between persons, genuine listening and learning can offer practical proof that truth is not dead, notwithstanding the dire theoretical generalisations of sceptics, nihilists and relativists.

I am delighted to celebrate the successful completion of the certificate in 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐲, 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧 offered by 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐡. This enlightening journey has revealed the intricate connections between these fields and challenged my understanding of existence. Through rigorous inquiry and thoughtful discourse, I have explored vast landscapes of thought, uncovering the rich ideas of history's great minds. Each lecture, discussion, and reading has deepened my comprehension, equipping me to engage with complex questions about the universe, our place in it, and the nature of belief. I have examined fundamental principles, from the laws of nature that govern our world to the ethical implications of scientific discovery, cultivating a holistic perspective that honors both empirical evidence and philosophical inquiry.

Book Review: Kenton C. Anderson and Gregory J. Henson, Theological Education: Principles and Practices of a Competency-Based Approach -