ABSTRACT

This chapter argues that educational theory may be 'scientific' without being 'objective'. It presents philosophers solutions in the form of a progressive argument that moves away from empiricist inductivism towards interpretive coherence. The chapter presents that the holistic idea of maximizing the coherence of a 'network' of theory is of most interest to developing account of educational theory. It offers a critique both of Quine's development of this idea and of the use that the Australian scholars J. C. Walker and C. W. Evers make of W. V. O. Quine's work in the development of a philosophy of education that they call 'materialist pragmatism' (MP). The central tenet of MP is an unreserved acceptance of Quinean pragmatism and epistemic holism, leading to the idea that educational theory develops as a response to the practical problems that arise in educational contexts.