Education and the Limits of Reason ─ Reading Dostoevsky, Tolstoy and Nabokov

Within the international philosophy of education community, the themes of reason, rationality, thinking, and logic have long occupied a prominent position in published work; however, discussions of rationality have, at times, been divorced from the specific contexts in which reason has been applied. Drawing from the works of Dostoevsky, Tolstoy and Nabokov, this book argues that literature can not only provide a fresh perspective on education and the limits of reason but also affirm the need for relative openness in our view of what counts as worthwhile educational research.

Peter Roberts is Professor of Education at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. His primary areas of scholarship are philosophy of education and educational policy studies. His research interests include the ethics and politics of education, literature and education (with a particular focus on the work of Dostoevsky, Hesse and Camus), and tertiary education policy.

Herner Saeverot is Professor of Education at Western Norway University in Norway. His research focuses on existential education, literature and education, national and international perspectives of educational research, and educational policy. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Nordic Studies in Education.