The problem of definition and the critique of essentialism in the context of contemporary education practices

Abstract

The article concerns K. Popper’s interpretation of the problem of definition and the critique of essentialism, and that is considered not only as an issue of epistemology, scientific methodology and a socio-philosophical problem, but also as a component of contemporary educational discourse. The paper focuses on the main approaches to solving this problem, highlighted both in K. Popper’s most famous socio-philosophical work “The Open Society and Its Enemies” and in a number of other publications devoted to issues of scientific methodology.

The paper also concerns key arguments of the critique of methodological essentialism and its components: the “esoteric doctrine of intellectual intuition” and the “requirement for the definition of terms”; the attention is paid to the issue Karl Popper’s justification of the methodological nominalism, the problem of opposing the cognitive and social strategies caused by essentialism to the scientific method. The article presents that K. Popper’s view on the problem of definitions remains relevant in the contemporary philosophical discourse.

Moreover, the article outlines possible directions for reinterpreting Popper’s understanding of the problem of definitions and the essentialist method from the perspective of contemporary philosophical critique (J. Shearmur, N. Dykes, W. Büttemeyer, E. O’Hear et al.). The paper puts a special emphasis on the significance of the considered problem within the context of both educational discourse and education practices. It demonstrates the connection between essentialism as a trend in the twentieth-century philosophy of education together with its definitions and critiques (W. Bagley, J. Null, M. Şahin et al.) and the theoretical and methodological discourse on the development of the concept of the open society.

The paper draws attention to the fact that essentialism, in its dogmatic forms, has been influencing contemporary education in contrast to efforts aimed at implementing a critical rationalist approach to the development of education systems and the organization of educational processes through forms such as critical discussions, Socratic dialogue, and orientation toward permanent scientific inquiry. The article also highlights the issue of the limits of applying the critical method and the discussions on the justification of its principles.