Forty years of the philosophy of education in the Nordic countries

The authors of this section's article are of the opinion that the 'pure' philosophers in Scandinavia do not usually consider philosophy of education to be a philosophical discipline in line with other 'hyphenated' philosophies. They argue that the way that philosophy of education is viewed in the Nordic countries is more like how it is treated in English-speaking countries, which is different from the German tradition where Bildung is historically both an educational and a philosophical concept. But Nordic contributors to philosophy of education, inspired by the main philosophical trends of the time, have perceived themselves in the last few decades as partakers in the general philosophical conversation from within a philosophical discipline defined by the basic questions of education as a cultural, political and individual practice. The article in this section presents a description of the development of educational philosophy in the five Nordic countries during the past four decades.