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What is Philosophy of Education?

Philosophy of education addresses the most fundamental concepts, questions, and assumptions about education. What is education? What are, or should be, the goals of education? How do our educational practices promote or impede certain values? These are but a few of the philosophical questions in education.

Our Mission

UNLV PES promotes the value and relevance of philosophical inquiry in education to an audience that may or may not be familiar with philosophical or educational ideas and methods.

We seek to create a space for a general audience to have conversations about philosophy of education issues and ideas. This space is open to students, faculty, staff, and the general public; anyone interested in looking deeply into the foundations and assumptions of our educational practices. We will accomplish this by:

  • Meeting monthly to discuss pressing philosophy of education issues and ideas.
  • Providing readings for participants to familiarize themselves with the month's discussion topic.
  • Promoting a safe, supportive, and welcoming environment for attendees.

Spring 2021 Meetings


  • Meeting 1: The St. Louis Hegelians and Institutionalized of Education

    • February 4, 2021 | 3:00pm-4:00pm | Zoom Meeting

    Click here to Register



  • Meeting 2: The Educational Philosophy of Hannah Arendt

    • March 4, 2021 | 3:00pm-4:00pm | Zoom Meeting

    Click here to Register



  • Meeting 3: Open-Mindedness as an Intellectual Virtue

    • April 1, 2021 | 3:00pm-4:00pm | Zoom Meeting

    Click here to Register



    For Inquiries

    Joe Ervin, Ph.D. (joseph.ervin@unlv.edu) & Nathan Slife, Ph.D. (nathan.slife@unlv.edu)