In this controversial and challenging book, first published in 1981, the author calls for a restoration of the humanistic literary and historical balance in our educational thinking. These essays constitute a systematic indictment of the narrowness of contemporary thinking about education.

Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. The Parochialism of the Present: Some Reflections on the History of Educational Theory 2. Literature and the Social Sciences: With Particular Reference to the Sociology of Education 3. Discovery Methods 4. The Idea of a Liberal Education 5. The Arts in Education 6. The Death of Bazarov 7. Equality and Education; Notes; Index