The Philosophy of Education by George Herbert Mead

Never before published, this book features George Herbert Mead's illuminating lectures on the Philosophy of Education at the University of Chicago during the early 20th century. These lectures provide unique insight into Mead's educational thought and reveal how his early psychological writings on the social character of meaning and the social origin of reflective consciousness was central in the development of what Mead referred to as his social conception of education. The introduction to the book provides an overview of Mead s educational thought and places it against the wider social, intellectual, and historical background of modern educational concepts. Most renowned for his work in philosophy and social psychology, George Herbert Mead (1863-1931) was one of the founders of American pragmatism. His collaboration with John Dewey at the University of Chicago and his wider involvement in social reform in Chicago stimulated his interest in educational theory and practice.