Israel Scheffler
Current Position: Harvard University, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Education. Director, Philosophy of Education Research Center
CURRICULUM VITAE
for
Israel Scheffler
Personal
Education
Positions
Service to Education
Awards and Honors
Books
Philosophy and Education: Modern Readings. Edited and introduced by Israel Scheffler. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1958. 2nd ed., 1966.
The Language of Education. Springfield, Ill.: Charles C. Thomas, 1960. Translated as Die Sprache der Erziehung (Düsseldorf, Germany: Pädagogischer Verlag, Schwann, 1971. Translated as Jiao yu di yu yan (Taipei, Taiwan: Gui guan tu shu gu fen you xian gong si, 1994). Translated as A Linguagem da Educação (São Paulo, Brazil: Editora da Universidade de São Paulo e Saraiva Editores, 1974). Translated as A Linguagem da Educação (São Paulo, Brazil: Editora da Universidade de São Paulo e Saraiva Editores, 1974). Also translated into Italian and Danish.
The Anatomy of Inquiry: Philosophical Studies in the Theory of Science. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1963. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1964. Translated as Anatomie de la science: Étude philosophique de l’explication et de la confirmation (Paris: Editions du Seuil, 1966). Paperback edition, Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill Co., 1971. Translated as Anatomia della ricerca: studi filosofici nella teoria della scienze by Luca Pavolini (Milan, Italy: Il Saggiatore, 1972). New printing, Indianapolis, Ind.: Hackett, 1981.
Conditions of Knowledge: An Introduction to Epistemology and Education. Chicago: Scott, Foresman and Co., 1965. Translated as Bases y condiciones del conocimiento (Buenos Aires: Editorial Paidós, 1970). Translated as Las condiciones del conocimiento: una introducción a la epistemología y a la educación by Olgá Elizabeth Hansberg (México City: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto de Investigaciones Filosóficas, 1974). Paperback edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1978. Translated as Tena’e ha-yedi’ah: mavo le-torat ha-hakarah veha-filosofyah shel ha-hinukh (Jerusalem: Universitah ha-’Ivrit, 1980). Translated as Kyoiku kara mita chishiki no joken (Tokyo: Toyokan Shuppansha, 1987).
Science and Subjectivity. Indianapolis, Ind.: Bobb-Merrill, 1967. 2nd ed., Hackett, 1982. Translated as Scienza e soggettività (Rome: Armando, 1983).
Logic and Art: Essays in Honor of Nelson Goodman. Edited by Richard Rudner and Israel Scheffler. Indianapolis: Bobb-Merrill, 1972.
Reason and Teaching. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill; London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1973.
Four Pragmatists: A Critical Introduction to Peirce, James, Mead, and Dewey. New York: Humanities Press; London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1974.
Beyond the Letter: A Philosophical Inquiry into Ambiguity, Vagueness, and Metaphor in Language. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1979. Translated as Más allá de la letra (Madrid: Visor Distribuciones, 1991).
Of Human Potential: An Essay in the Philosophy of Education. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1985. Translated as Hyuman potensharu: kyoiku tetsugaku kara no kosatsu (Tokyo: Keiso Shobo, 1994).
Inquiries: Philosophical Studies of Language, Science, and Learning. Indianapolis: Hackett, 1986.
In Praise of the Cognitive Emotions, and Other Essays in the Philosophy of Education. New York: Routledge, 1991. Abstract: The 14 essays included in this collection are an effort to apply philosophical thinking to educational themes, in the belief that critical thought is of the first importance in the conception and organization of educational activities. The book attempts to wed an analytical style of thought to a concern with practical issues. Part I provides a background in human nature for the function of critical aspects of the mind. Part II studies the symbolic capacities, with special reference to metaphor as an instrument and potential vehicle of truth, and ritual as a pervasive cognitive device of symbolism. Part III offers a discussion of computer technology as it applies to schooling. Part IV stresses the need for policy-makers to have not merely technical knowledge but also a grasp of the human problems naturally expressed by clients of policy. The final section offers critical commentary on two of pragmatism’s founding fathers: Charles Sanders Peirce and John Dewey.
Work, Education and Leadership: Essays in the Philosophy of Education. With Vernon A. Howard. New York: Peter Lang, 1995. Abstract: This book contains a series of essays that examine the relationships among work, education, and leadership from a philosophical and practical perspective. The essays represent studies undertaken at Harvard's Philosophy of Education Research Center. Among the topics covered are the concepts of education and training, the nature of vocational education, the relationship between art and utility in schooling, and the roles of leadership in education and work. The book synthesizes the theories of the American pragmatist John Dewey and the British idealist R. G. Collingwood. The three essays in section 1 examine the language of work and the idea of vocational education: (1) "The Language of Work" (V. A. Howard); (2) "John Dewey on Work and Education" (Israel Scheffler); and (3) "Reflections on Vocational Education" (Israel Scheffler). Two chapters in the second section examine the themes of art and utility in education and what it means to be an educated person: (4) "Art and Utility in Education" (V. A. Howard); and (5) "On the Idea of an Educated Person" (Israel Scheffler). Section 3 is comprised of two chapters that explore some conceptual and methodological issues of leadership, focusing on its accessibility to direct instruction and its emergence in the work place: (6) "Can Leadership Be Taught?" (V. A. Howard); and (7) "Educating Leadership at Work: (V. A. Howard). Each chapter contains references.
Teachers of My Youth: An American Jewish Experience. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer, 1995.
Symbolic Worlds: Art, Science, Language, Ritual. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1997.
Visions of Jewish Education. Edited by Seymour Fox, Daniel Marom, and Israel Scheffler. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 2003.
Articles
"Playing the Dozens: A Note." With Cornelius L. Golightly. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology 43 (1948): 104-105.
"Group Position and Attitudes Toward Authority." With Charles N. Winslow. Journal of Social Psychology 32 (1950): 177-190.
"Verifiability in History: A Reply to Miss Masi." Journal of Philosophy 47.6 (16 March 1950): 158-166.
"The New Dualism: Psychological and Physical Terms." Journal of Philosophy 47.25 (7 December 1950): 737-752.
"Psychoanalysis and Religion." The Reconstructionist 17 (1951): 26-29.
"Anti-Naturalist Restrictions in Ethics." Journal of Philosophy 50.15 (16 July 1953): 457-466.
"Civilization and Value: A Review, Harvard Educational Review 23, (1953): 110-116.
"Moral Principles of Action." The Reconstructionist 19 (1953): 24-29.
"On Justification and Commitment." Journal of Philosophy 51.6 (18 March 1954): 180-190.
"Is the Dewey-like Notion of Desirability Absurd?" Journal of Philosophy 51.20 (30 September 1954): 577-582.
"An Inscriptional Approach to Indirect Quotation." Analysis n.s. 14 (March 1954): 83-90.
"Toward an Analytic Philosophy of Education." Harvard Educational Review 24 (1954): 223-230. Translated into Japanese for the journal Americana (Japan) 1 (1955): 69-78. Reprinted in Philosophy of Education: Essays and Commentaries, eds. Hobert W. Burns and Charles J. Brauner (New York: Ronald Press, 1962).
"On Synonymy and Indirect Discourse." Philosophy of Science 22.1 (January 1955): 39-44.
"Science, Morals, and Educational Policy." Harvard Educational Review 26 (1956): 1-16.
"Educational Liberalism and Dewey’s Philosophy." Harvard Educational Review 26 (1956): 190-198. Translated into Japanese for the journal Americana (Japan) 2 (1956): 106-110.
"Explanation, Prediction, and Abstraction." British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 7 (February 1957): 293-309. Partly reprinted in Philosophy of Science, eds. Arthur Danto and Sidney Morgenbesser, (New York: Meridian, 1960).
"Prospects of a Modest Empiricism, I." Review of Metaphysics 10 (March 1957): 383-400. Partly reprinted in Philosophy of Science, eds. Arthur Danto and Sidney Morgenbesser, (New York: Meridian, 1960).
"Prospects of a Modest Empiricism, II." Review of Metaphysics 10 (June 1957): 602-625. Partly reprinted in Philosophy of Science, eds. Arthur Danto and Sidney Morgenbesser, (New York: Meridian, 1960).
"Review of Gustav Bergmann, Philosophy of Science." Science 125 (1957): 822.
"Review of Morton White, Toward Reunion in Philosophy." Harvard Educational Review 27 (1957): 156-158.
"The Role of Philosophy of Education in the Liberal Arts Colleges." Harvard Graduate School of Education Alumni Bulletin (June 1957).
"Inductive Inference: A New Approach." Science 127 (1958): 177-181.
"Inscriptionalism and Indirect Quotation." Analysis 19 (October 1958): 12-17.
"Justifying Curriculum Decisions." The School Review 66 (1958): 461-472.
"Review of O’Connor, An Introduction to Philosophy of Education." Journal of Philosophy 56.19 (10 September 1959): 770-772.
"What is Said to Be." With Noam Chomsky. Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society 59 (1958-59): 71-82.
"Thoughts on Teleology." British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 9 (February 1959): 265-284.
"Comment on Geiger." In Education in Transition, ed. Frederick C. Gruber (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1960).
"A Note on Confirmation." Philosophical Studies 11 (1960): 21-22.
"A Rejoinder on Confirmation." Philosophical Studies 12 (1961): 19.
"Remarks on Burnett." Proceedings of the Philosophy of Education Society 17 (March 1961): 34-35.
"A Note on Behaviorism as Educational Theory." Harvard Educational Review 32 (1962): 210-213.
"Is Education a Discipline? In The Discipline of Education, eds. John Walton and James L. Kuethe (Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1963), pp. 47-61.
"Comment on O’Connor." Proceedings of the Philosophy of Education Society 19 (1963).
"Philosophy of Education at Harvard University." Philosophy of Education Newsletter (September 1963).
"Concepts of Education: Some Philosophical Reflections on the Current Scene." In Guidance in American Education, eds. E. Landy and P. Perry (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1964).
"Postscript on Inscriptionalism." Journal of Philosophy 62.6 (18 March 1965): 158-160.
"Comments on Sellars." In Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science, vol. 2 (New York: Humanities Press, 1965).
"Philosophical Models of Teaching." Harvard Educational Review 35.2 (Spring 1965): 131-143.
"Reply to Elizabeth Flower." Studies in Philosophy and Education 4.1 (Spring 1965): 133-136.
"Reply to Professor Robert D. Heslep." Harvard Educational Review 35.3 (Summer 1965): 365-367.
"Reply to George F. Kneller." Studies in Philosophy and Education 5.1 (Winter 1966-67): 136-138.
"On Ryle’s Theory of Propositional Knowledge." Journal of Philosophy 65.22 (21 November 1968): 725-732.
"Reflections on the Ramsey Method." Journal of Philosophy 65.10 (16 May 1968): 269-274.
"University Scholarship and the Education of Teachers." Teachers College Record 70.1 (October 1968): 1-12.
"Reflections on Educational Relevance." Journal of Philosophy 66.21 (6 November 1969): 764-773.
"An Improvement in the Theory of Projectibility." With Nelson Goodman and Robert Schwartz. Journal of Philosophy 67.18 (17 September 1970): 605-609.
"Foreword." To Ralph Barton Perry on Education for Democracy, by Ira S. Steinberg (Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1970).
"Harold C. Weisberg." Memorial. Proceedings and Addresses of the American Philosophical Association 44 (1970-71): 229.
"Explanations, Desires, and Inscriptions." British Journal for Philosophy of Science 22.4 (November 1971): 362-369.
"Philosophy and the Curriculum." Philosophic Exchange 2 (Summer 1971): 59-68. Reprinted in Scheffler, Reason and Teaching (1973). Reprinted in Science and Education 1.4 (1992): 385-394.
"The Moral Content of American Public Education." In Educational Research: Projects and Priorities. 92nd Congress, 2nd Session Committee on Education and Labor. Appendix 1 to Hearings on H.R. 3606. Reprinted in The Hidden Curriculum and Moral Education: Deception or Discovery? eds. Henry A. Giroux and David E. Purpel (Berkeley, Cal.: McCutchan, 1983).
"Supercalifragilistic Reduction: A Reply to Jan Berg." Philosophy of Science 38.1 (March 1971): 121-122.
"Ambiguity: An Inscriptional Approach." In Logic and Art: Essays in Honor of Nelson Goodman, eds. Richard Rudner and Israel Scheffler (Indianapolis: Bobb-Merrill, 1972).
"Selective Confirmation and the Ravens: A Reply to Foster." With Nelson Goodman. Journal of Philosophy 69.3 (10 February 1972): 78-83.
"Vision and Revolution: A Postscript on Kuhn." Philosophy of Science 39.3 (September 1972): 336-374.
"Philosophy of Education at Harvard." Harvard Graduate School of Education Association Bulletin 18.2 (Spring-Summer 1974): 11-16.
"Basic Mathematical Skills: Some Philosophical and Practical Remarks." Teachers College Record 78.2 (December 1976): 205-212.
"In Praise of the Cognitive Emotions." Teachers College Record 79.2 (December 1977): 171-186.
"Robert Ulich (1890-1977): A Biographical Memoir." With Francis Keppel and George H. Williams. In Proceedings of the National Academy of Education (Washington, D.C.: National Academy of Education, 1978): 84-91.
"Philosophy of Education: Some Recent Contributions." Harvard Education Review 50.3 (August 1980): 402-406.
"The Wonderful Worlds of Goodman." Synthese 45 (October 1980): 201-210. Abstract in Journal of Philosophy 76.11 (November 1979): 618.
"In Praise of the Cognitive Emotions." Thinking 3 (1981): 16-23.
"Ritual and Reference." Synthese 46.3 (March 1981): 421-437.
"Reply to Gareth Matthews, ‘Comments on Isreal Scheffler’s Ritual and Reference’." Synthese 46.3 (March 1981): 445-448.
"Pragmatism as a Philosophy." in Zeichen und Realität: Akten des 3. Semiotischen Kolloquiums der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Semiotik e.V., Hamburg 1981, ed. Klaus Oehler (Tübingen, Germany: Stauffenburg, 1984), pp. 29-43.
"Projectibility: A Postscript." Journal of Philosophy 79.6 (June 1982): 334-336.
"Four Questions of Fiction." Poetics 2 (1982): 279-284. Reprinted in How Many Questions? Essays in Honor of Sidney Morgenbesser, eds. Leigh S. Cauman, Isaac Levi, Charles Parsons, and Robert Schwartz (Indianapolis: Hackett, 1983), pp. 358-365.
"Human Nature and Potential" Educational Studies 14.3 (Fall 1983): 211-224. Reprinted in Education, Values and Mind, ed. David E. Cooper (New York: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1986), pp. 201-214.
"Understanding Understanding." With V. A. Howard. Harvard Graduate School of Education Alumni Bulletin 27.3 (Spring-Summer 1983): 16-17.
"Fallible Is As Fallible Does: Comments on Professor Levi’s Paper." In Language, Logic and Method, eds. Robert S. Cohen and Marx W. Wartofsky (Dordrecht: Reidel, 1983), pp. 175-178.
"Rejoinder to Levi’s Reply." With Avishai Margalit. In Language, Logic and Method, eds. Robert S. Cohen and Marx W. Wartofsky (Dordrecht: Reidel, 1983), pp. 197-198.
"On the Education of Policy-Makers." Harvard Educational Review 54.2 (May 1984): 152-165.
"An Update on the Center." With V. A. Howard. Harvard Graduate School of Education Alumni Bulletin 28.3 (Spring-Summer 1984).
"Computers at School?" Teachers College Record 87.4 (Summer 1986): 513-528. Reprinted in Values and Value Theory, ed. Murray G. Murphey (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1988), pp. 237-255.
"Perc Offers Varied Colloquium Series." With V. A. Howard. Harvard Graduate School of Education Alumni Bulletin 30.3 (Summer 1986): 10.
"Mainsprings of Metaphor." With Catherine Z. Elgin. Journal of Philosophy 84.6 (June 1987): 331-335.
"Ten Myths of Metaphor." Communication and Cognition 19.3-4 (1986): 389-394. Reprinted in Journal of Aesthetic Education 22.1 (Spring 1988): 45-50.
"Making and Understanding." Proceedings of the Philosophy of Education Society 43 (1987): 65-78.
"Some Thoughts on Teaching and Curriculum." In Chinese translation. Journal of East China Normal University (Educational Science Edition) No. 2 (1988): 1-3.
"I quattro linguaggi dell’educazione." Studi di Storia dell’Educazione 9 (1989): 70-77.
"Vice Into Virtue, Or, Seven Deadly Sins of Education Redeemed." Teachers College Record 91.2 (Winter 1989): 177-189.
"Pictorial Ambiguity." Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 47.2 (Spring 1989): 109-115.
"Moral Education beyond Moral Reasoning." New Directions for Child Development 47 (Spring 1990): 99-102.
"Philosophy of Education at Harvard in Retrospect." Paper presented at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, Massachusetts in September 1991, as part of the HGSE Centennial Celebration. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Graduate School of Education, 1992.
"Judaism’s Philosophy of Education." In Curriculum, Community, Commitment, eds. Daniel J. Margolis and Elliot S. Schoenberg (Springfield, N.J.: Behrman House, 1992), pp. 7-19.
"Jewish Education: Purposes, Problems and Possibilities." In Curriculum, Community, Commitment, eds. Daniel J. Margolis and Elliot S. Schoenberg (Springfield, N.J.: Behrman House, 1992), pp. 20-28.
"Art, Science, Religion." Les Cahiers du Musee National d’Art Moderne 41 (Automne 1992): pp. 45-53.
"Reference and Play." Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 50.3 (Summer 1992): 211-216.
"Responses to Authors and Writings of Israel Scheffler." Synthese 94.1 (January 1993): 127-144.
"Ritual Change." Revue Internationale de Philosophie 46 (no. 185) (1993): 151-159.
"Symbol, Ritual and Cognition." In Peirce’s Doctrine of Signs, eds. Vincent M. Colapietro and Thomas M. Olshewsky (Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, 1996), pp. 173-180.
"Responses to Professors Pekarsky, Yob, and Brown." In Philosophy of Education, eds. Alven Neiman et. al. (Urbana, Ill.: Philosophy of Education Society, 1995), pp. 360-362.
"Words and Pictures: Mention-selection and Mental Process." Languages of Design 3 (1995): 45-54.
"Replies." In Reason and Education: Essays in Honor of Israel Scheffler, ed. Harvey Siegel, Studies in Philosophy and Education 16.1-2 (January-April 1997): 259-272. Reprinted, Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer, 1997.
"On Change and Objectivity in Science: Reflections on Kuhn." Pamphlet by the Mandel Institute, Jerusalem, April 1996.
"Moral Education and the Democratic Ideal." Inquiry 16.3 (Spring 1997): 27-34.
"Some Responses to Goodman’s Comments in ‘Starmaking’." Philosophia Scientiae 2.2 (1997): 207-211.
"Some Contributions of Philosophy to Education." In Proceedings of the 20th World Congress of Philosophy, vol. 3: Philosophy of Education, ed. David M. Steiner (Charlottesville, Virginia: Philosophy Documentation Center, 1999), pp. 193-200.
"A Plea for Plurealism." Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society 35.3 (Summer 1999): 425-436. Reprinted in a special section on Nelson Goodman, in Erkenntnis 52.2 (2000): 161-173.
"My Quarrels with Nelson Goodman." Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 62.3 (May 2001): 665-673.
"Nelson Goodman (1906-1998)." In A Companion to Analytic Philosophy, eds. A. P. Martinich and David Sosa (Oxford: Blackwell, 2001): 160-168.
About Israel Scheffler
Twentieth Century Philosophy of Education. Sound Recording: Cassette tape (60 min.). Halifax, N.S.: School of Education, Dalhusie University, 1990. Four talks on distinguished philosophers of education. Jonas Soltis discusses John Dewey; William Hare examines the ideas of Bertrand Russell; Harvey Siegel looks at the contribution of Israel Scheffler; and Robin Barrow reviews the achievement of R. S. Peters.
Festschrift in Honor of Israel Scheffler. Edited by Catherine Elgin. Synthese 94.1 (January 1993). This issue consists of essays on the work of Israel Scheffler, together with his replies.
Reason and Education: Essays in Honor of Israel Scheffler. Edited by Harvey Siegel. Studies in Philosophy and Education 16.1-2 (January-April 1997). Reprinted, Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer, 1997.