This paper examines the question of philosophy of education’s direction through an examination of its historical self-understandings. The North American, and particularly, U.S. context is highlighted. The thesis is that philosophy of education must reconstruct itself through attention to its past self-understandings, but most importantly, through acceptance of projects, issues, and topics that are relevant to it, and not simply to philosophy or educational practice. Some consequences of this thesis are presented at the end of the paper.
Key words: philosophy of education; Dewey's influence; educational theories; historical self-understanding; pragmatism