Modern scholarship has struggled to come to terms with the meaning of wisdom and its significance in the field of education. This book examines the importance of pursuing wisdom in schools by turning to ancient and medieval sources for clarification concerning the nature of wisdom. Sean Steel argues that our current emphasis on the development of rigorous critical-analytic thinking skills, on assessment, and on accountability in education has negatively impacted the ability of schools to foster an environment in which both students and teachers might pursue wisdom. Although in recent times efforts have been made to incorporate the pursuit of wisdom into schools through Philosophy for Children (P4C) and contemplative education programming, such initiatives have missed their mark. Steel therefore recommends not more accountability in education for the purpose of ensuring global competitiveness, but rather the institutional promotion of periods of leisure or schole in the school day.Drawing upon his own experiences as a teacher who has tried to encourage students to search for wisdom, the author discusses some of the challenges and pitfalls of wisdom seeking. He also offers examples of various wisdom-seeking activities that might bear fruit in the classroom.

Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Stating the Problem: The Loss of Wisdom in the Modern World 2. Aristotle's Understanding of Wisdom and Wisdom's Pursuit 3. Boethius: The Relevance of Philosophy and the Need for a Wisdom Atmosphere in Education 4. Moses Maimonides's Warnings against the Pursuit of Wisdom in Schools 5. Thomas Aquinas and the Gift of Wisdom 6. "Forget about Wisdom! Let's Innovate!" A Critique of Current Trends in Education Reform 7. The Same Old Story: A History Lesson with St. Augustine about Education Reform 8. The Problem of Introducing Schole into Schools Today 9. Gareth Matthews's Defense of Philosophizing with Children 10. Matthew Lipman and the P4C Movement 11. What Philosophy Is Not 12. A Brief Statement on the Unity between the Philosophic and Contemplative Traditions 13. Technological Education and the Need for Contemplation 14. The Challenge of Contemplative Education Programming in Schools 15. Examples of Contemplative Education in Schools 16. A Proposal for "Metaxic" Education, or an Education of the In-Between Notes Bibliography Index