ABSTRACT
There is little doubt that education is a purposive and rational activity. In earlier periods of educational history “aims” were the thing rather than the more specialist idea of targets, such as intended learning outcomes or behavioral objectives. Some philosophers have even queried the need for such aims. R.S. Peters (1959, 1963) queried the use of “aims” as extrinsic ends. He believed that it was not absolutely necessary for an educator to have an aim. However, he did suggest that aims are values that give direction – that is they are ideals the teacher is committed to in educating a student. Aims function as procedural values. This is a crucial point for an understanding of the alternative theory proposed in this book.
