ABSTRACT
I. Education and the Language of Potential The notion of potential is not only a hoary metaphysical idea that has come down to us from ancient Greek philosophy. It is also widely operative in the practical thinking of parents, educators, planners, and policy-makers in the contemporary world. Teachers, examiners, and counselors assess the potentials of students. Attributing the possession of given potentials to some, they deny it of others. But whereas lack of a given potential precludes its realization, possession of the same potential by no means guarantees it. Thus attribution of potential opens the further question of realization: what courses of study and training, what forms of practice or life experience would help given students to realize their evident potentials? This question is obviously of central importance to students, parents, educators, and planners.
