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THE PROVENANCES OF ECONOMIC THEORY'S IMPACT ON EDUCATION: FRENCH EDUCATIONAL THOUGHT AT THE END OF THE ANCIEN RÉGIME
Author(s) -
Gilead Tal
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
educational theory
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.21
H-Index - 42
eISSN - 1741-5446
pISSN - 0013-2004
DOI - 10.1111/j.1741-5446.2011.00391.x
Subject(s) - scope (computer science) , economic thought , history of economic thought , period (music) , education theory , history of education , sociology , product (mathematics) , ancien regime , social science , positive economics , political science , political economy , economics , economic growth , history , higher education , neoclassical economics , aesthetics , law , philosophy , politics , ancient history , computer science , programming language , geometry , mathematics
Today, the influence of economic thought on educational theory is evident. It seems to weaken, however, the further we travel back in history. In this article, Tal Gilead examines the historical origins of this influence. He shows that it first emerged in French educational thought during the second half of the eighteenth century. Through analyzing a number of books on educational theory from this period, Gilead demonstrates the educational impact of two innovative economic ideas: first, the idea that wealth stems from the product of the land, and, second, the idea that the wealth of the nation is positively correlated with that of the individuals composing it. Gilead argues that these economic ideas contributed to the emergence and spread of progressive notions regarding the scope, nature, and aims of educational provision. He especially stresses the role that these economic ideas played in transforming contemporary attitudes toward the education of the poor.