Andrew Madjar

This collective writing, led by Peters and co-authored by members of the PESA executive, is grounded in a shared commitment to thinking and writing together in response to the complexities of our time. Against a backdrop of political unrest, ecological crisis, and epistemic uncertainty, the piece explores how philosophy of education might be reimagined through relational, collaborative, and dialogic practices. Rather than offering a singular argument or unified voice, the text unfolds through a polyphonic structure—multiple perspectives interwoven in tension and conversation. Writing itself becomes a philosophical act: not merely the expression of thought, but a form of co-becoming, an invitation to dwell with difference. In this way, the piece resists the isolating norms of individual academic production and proposes a more generous, collective intellectual life. The writing does not resolve contradictions but holds them open—embracing ambiguity, complexity, and the friction that comes from thinking across difference. It calls for a philosophy of education that is not just reflective but responsive; not merely abstract but situated and ethical. Co authorship here is more than method—it is a stance, a way of being with others through thought. By enacting a practice of collective writing, the authors model an approach to educational philosophy that foregrounds dialogue over declaration, resonance over resolution. The result is not a closed thesis but a shared philosophical space: one marked by generosity, care, and attentiveness to the multiple crises that shape our educational futures. This is philosophy in a new key—less about finding answers, more about composing new ways of thinking and being, together.

Michael A. PetersBeijing Normal University, PR ChinaImmature poets imitate; mature poets steal; bad poets deface what they take, and good poets make it into something better, or at least something ...

Infanticides is the third article in a collective writing project that includes ‘Infantologies’ and ‘Infantasies’. It is designed to develop a philosophy of the infant, which is not tied to either developmental psychology or neuroscience but rather links itself to history and philosophy. It looks to develop a perspective on the world, beginning from the infant, that is critical, historical, and from the bottom up, so to speak. At the same time, the series of articles aims to create a thematic philosophical view that does not take for granted the normal set of conventions and assumptions made about the infant and about infancy, an important aspect given that infants and babies have a huge number of experts in medicine, law, education, religion, social work, and baby organizations like Plunket that have developed accepted bodies of knowledge, procedures, and routines about the infant and what is in the infant’s best interests. Historically, we have good reason to doubt this expertise. Also, women who give birth and parents, and other family members, all assume opinions and practices based on actual lived experience. Everyone, it seems, speaks for the infant saving the infant herself who cannot speak or, at least, is not able to articulate verbally their experiences or their expectations or requirements. This series has tried to provide fresh perspectives on these matters through the process of collective writing based on an approach to educational philosophy.

Sonja Arndt, Michael Peters, Marek TesarIntrospection is a key concept in epistemology, since introspective knowledge is often thought to be particularly secure, maybe even immune to skeptical doub...

In education, it is common to hear that we need to close the gap between research and practice. Less common is a consideration of what it means to close this gap. A lot of policy, research and professional learning assumes that research should inform teacher practice by providing evidence about ‘what works’ for students’ learning. However, there are other important ways that we can understand the relationship between research and practice. In this paper, I discuss one possibility for understanding this relationship by looking at the research of Max van Manen and his work in phenomenological pedagogy. Phenomenology provides a way for teachers to reflect on their practice by prioritising the meaning and significance of lived experience. As I describe, phenomenology is a valuable way for research to inform practice; but its value lies not in being able to tell us ‘what works’, but in its power to do something with us.

(2020). Philosophy of education in a new key. Educational Philosophy and Theory. Ahead of Print.