Queen's University Belfast | Kitchen, William

Kitchen, William

Year of Entry: 2012

Projected Thesis Title: Rethinking educational philosophy in relation to recent advancements in neuroscience and Quantum Mechanics

Summary of the research: This thesis will examine the impact on education of recent advances in the fields of neuroscience and Quantum mechanics, with the overarching aim of examining, in detail the credentials of both these sciences as the underpinning science and philosophy for education. In the first instance, the thesis will offer a critique of neuroscience which has fast become the accepted ‘science of education’, given its apparent ability to explain concepts such as learning, thinking and understanding. By considering the philosophical and conceptual clarity of neuroscience as a discipline, this work seeks to examine the credentials of brain-based learning approaches to education, particularly neuroeducation. The work will then consider the mereological fallacy and the first-person/third-person asymmetry category mistake with particular reference to brain-based approaches to education, concepts which are common criticisms of neuroscience in general. The thesis will then offer a detailed consideration of the so-called ‘inner-outer picture’, to examine what the ‘inner’ and the ‘outer’ are, as well as to examine the true nature of the relation between these two ‘realms’. On the back of this critique of neuroscience and brain-based learning, the thesis will then examine the claim that neuroscience is nothing other than a neo-crypto version of Cartesianism and Newtonianism; philosophical models which are now largely rejected as outdated and conceptually flawed. This work will argue that what was once posited of the mind under the guise of Cartesianism, is now transcribed onto the brain under the guise of neuroscience. This work then seeks to answer the question of whether the brain is any more reasonable an agent for mental faculties, than the mind is. Thereafter, the thesis is committed to examining the philosophical underpinnings of Quantum Mechanics (QM), with the hope of exploring the possibility of QM serving as the foundational philosophy and science for education. The core postulates of QM will be outlined, and parallels will be established for education. Wittgenstein’s later philosophy will be invoked as the connecting philosophy between QM and education, to show that Wittgenstein ought to be considered as the educational philosopher who cures education of its self-inflicted ailments. This thesis will argue that what makes Wittgenstein’s philosophy so appealing to education is that it does not seek an explanation of concepts such as learning, thinking and understanding. The conclusion will be, therefore, that the long-standing problem of learning – The Meno Paradox – has implications for learning theory, but not for learning itself.

Personal Statement: I hold a MSci in Mathematics with First Class Honours from Queen's University, Belfast, attained in July 2010. I also hold a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in Mathematics, and I have subsequently taught in various schools in Northern Ireland, as a substitute teacher, most recently Methodist College, Belfast. I have taught on the PGCE programme in the academic year 2012-13.

Research Interests: My research interests include the philosophy of education (general), educational 'theory', mathematics education, and the politics of education. My primary research seeks to unify ideas in education and Quantum Mechanics through the work of Ludwig Wittgenstein and Neils Bohr. I also have a keen interest in researching the role which neuroscience can (or cannot) play in educational thinking, as well as the importance of reasoning coherently about the mind or brain within educational discourse. All of my research to date has involved discussions about Wittgenstein's later philosophy of mind and language, and their respective implications for education.

Primary Supervisor: Dr Hugh Morrison

Books: Kitchen, W. (2013). Authority and the Teacher. London: Bloomsbury (Due for release in late 2013)