The Royal Institute of Philosophy hosted a day
conference on philosophy and education on January 24th to inaugurate Randall
Curren’s professorship established there in conjunction with his appointment as
Chair of Moral and Virtue Education in the Jubilee Centre for Character and
Values. Prof. Curren concluded the conference with a keynote lecture, “Meaning,
Motivation, and the Good”, concerning meaning in life, the importance of
devotion to things of value, and the educational basis for good and meaningful lives.
Prof. Curren was also invited to respond to Secretary of the Royal Institute
Dr. James Garvey’s paper on the obstacles to education for sustainability,
based on his reading of a new book manuscript, An Education in
Sustainability, that Prof. Curren has co-authored with Garvey and geologist
and science educator colleague, Ellen Metzger. In addition, Prof. Anthony
O’Hear, Director of Studies and Editor of Philosophy presented a paper
which contested recent educational trends and invoked R.S. Peters in defending
an educational focus on the mastery and understanding of disciplinary
knowledge. Prof. Curren’s keynote lecture can be viewed on the Royal Institute
of Philosophy YouTube channel, via:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhjZvbvpJYQ&feature=youtu.be.