Analyzing the problem of rule-following in education with emphasis on Wittgenstein’s Paradox
Subject Areas :
Keywords: Rule-following, paradox, rationalist, authoritarian, tacit agreement ,
Abstract :
The rules are components of our biological experiences that shape all social institutions and human activities, including education. When we invite others to follow the rules, there is always a presupposition in our mind that we and others have a common and clear concept of the rules. Wittgenstein believes that one can be trained to follow the rules. But he puts forward an important paradox about the rule of law, according to which one cannot speak of a conformity or non-compliance with the rule. The logical dimensions of this paradox have attracted the attention of educational philosophers. Following the rules of education in the school and classroom space is one of the most prominent examples of compliance with the rules. But do we have enough reasons to persuade our children and students to follow the rules? The two views of rationalist and authoritarian are among the most important approaches in the area of education to the question of rule-following. Relying on Wittgenstein’s context-based approach to escaping the paradox, this paper claims that the best way to understand the category of rule-following is to form a tacit agreement between the community and educational environments, which can only be expressed in practice without being expressible.