Education in Eighteenth-Century German Philosophy: Theological Roots, Ethical Significance, and the Role of Enlightenment

The chapter presents what is distinctive about education in eighteenth-century German philosophy. It underlines that the study of concrete pedagogical practices was considered genuine object of philosophical examination. It first points at the early theological roots of the theory of education and shows how the Thomasian–Pietistic tradition and the Wolffian one were well represented in educational theories. Second, it underlines the theoretical results of the Rousseauian influence on the activities of the Philanthropinists. Finally, it focusses on the educational purposes of the project of the Enlightenment, presenting the movement itself as an educational quest. It thus shows that ethics and education were intrinsically interconnected, by considering numerous authors (and, in particular, many women philosophers) who are little read today, but who genuinely contributed to the debate on how to fully realize the human potential of ethical autonomy through educational practices.