Richard Stanley Peters His Philosophy in
Education
Objectives of the Session

Explain his earlier life and academic careers.
and

Recognize how he influences
philosophy of education.
on
the
Quick Facts:
Intro:
British philosopher
Was:
Philosopher, Professor, Educator
From:
United Kingdom
Type:
Academia Philosophy
Gender:
Male
Birth:
31 October 1919, Mussoorie, India
Death:
30 December 2011, London, United Kingdom (aged 92 years)
Star sign: Scorpio
Earlier life
 Peters was born in 1919 in Mussoorie, India.
 He spent his childhood with his grandmother in England.
 He was a pupil at Sidcot School, Winscombe, Somerset,
1933–1938. As a young man, his private tutor was Eric
Blair (the writer George Orwell).
 As a conscientious objector in the Second World War, he
served in the Friends Ambulance Unit and with the Friends
Relief Service in 1940–1944.
 From his marriage in 1942 to Margaret Lee Duncan (1917–
1998), elementary school teacher and daughter of Alfred
Duncan, engineer, came one son and two daughters.
Academic Career
 Peters studied at The Queen's College, Oxford, and
received the Bachelor of Arts in 1942.
 In 1944 he began teaching at Sidcot Grammar School.
 He became a part-time lecturer at Birkbeck
College, University of London, where he also studied
philosophy and psychology, receiving his PhD in 1949.
 From then to 1958 he was a full-time lecturer, moving on to
be a reader in philosophy until 1962.
 In 1961 he had a one-year guest professorship for
education at Harvard University.
 In 1971 he was Dean of the Institute. Under his guidance
the Institute grew fast and considerably influenced the
development of the philosophy of education in England.
Influence on the Philosophy of Education
 Peters is known particularly for his work in the philosophy
of education.
 His work belongs mainly to the areas of political theory,
philosophical psychology, and philosophy of education.
 His early writings were occupied with psychology, more
exactly with a philosophical view of psychological issues.
 Thus his research was in the areas motivation, emotions,
personality as well as social behaviour and the
relationship between reason and longing.
 Perhaps the most important work by Peters is Ethics and
Education.
 He significantly influenced the development of the
philosophy of education in Britain and worldwide.
 The influence resulted from his examination of the
concept of education in the sense of analytic philosophy, a
central tool being term analysis.
 Peters explored two substantial aspects of the philosophy
of education: the normative and the cognitive.
 Education has normative implications as it implies that
something worthwhile is being intentionally transmitted in
a morally acceptable manner.
The Normative Concept of Education:
 Education develops appreciation for certain norms or
standards.
 For example, how do you judge a person good in
housekeeping? Is it not when good housekeeping
meets certain standards, certain criteria to satisfy?
 It also implies that the person has undergone some
worthwhile activities that we call as educative
processes in which one is engaged in a morally
acceptable manner.
 But when a person uses conditioning as a method to
educate an individual, just like the ways animals are
conditioned to certain behaviour by rigorous training,
then it is morally objectionable. So, conditioning or
indoctrinating might be ruled out as the only process of
education.
The Cognitive Concept of Education:
 a learning theory of psychology that attempts to explain
human behavior by understanding the thought processes.
 is best used to guide learning when trying to build useful.
knowledge structures and teach clinical reasoning.
 Peters developed a clear and nuanced account of what
education is really about and how educational policy and
practice can make good on its promise.
 Informative, comprehensive, well organised and clearly
written, it brings out the breadth, scope, and practical
relevance of Peters' work.
 Cuypers and Martin reveal the richness of Peters' thinking
about education, including his concern for the human
condition and the predicaments of life, and his emphasis
on the moral value of the work done by those engaged in
the educational enterprise.
 R.S Peters demonstrate the relevance of philosophy of
education as a unique discipline that can significantly
contribute to contemporary discussions on educational
policy and practice.
 R.S Peters was the British architect of post-war philosophy
of education as a worthwhile branch of modern analytical
philosophy and a philosopher of global significance and
reputation.
PETERS ON THE CONCEPT OF EDUCATION
 He considers that education has its value, so to speak,
written into it, and that analysis will lay that value bare;
analysis and justification therefore flow into each other.
 Peters firmly rejects the attempt either to conceptualise
education as a process of social formation and
reproduction, or to justify an educational approach or
policy as a means to the creation of a society of some sort
(or the perpetuation of it, if it already exists).
 Peters argues in Ethics and Education against the
legitimacy of justifying educational policies by reference to
their social utility:
Thank You Very
Much…