George Whalley Distinguished University Professor and John and Ella G. Charlton Professor of Philosophy
Education
- BA (hons), Keele University
- British Council Visiting Student, Moscow State University
- DPhil, University of Oxford
Specializations / Research Interests
Epistemology, Metaphysics, Ethics, Russian Philosophy, Philosophy of Education
ŸĆĐăֱȄ
David Bakhurst is George Whalley Distinguished University Professor and John and Ella G. Charlton Professor of Philosophy at Queenâs University, Ontario. His book, Consciousness and Revolution in Soviet Philosophy (Cambridge, 1991), represents the first critical history of Soviet philosophical culture. The primary research was conducted in Moscow under the mentorship of Felix Mikhailov. Since then, in addition to continuing his work on Russian thought, Bakhurst has written on epistemology, metaphysics, Wittgenstein, ethics and philosophy of education. His publications include The Heart of the Matter: Ilyenkov, Vygotsky and the Courage of Thought (Brill, 2023); The Formation of Reason (Wiley-Blackwell, 2011) and the edited collection, Teaching and Learning: Epistemic, Metaphysical and Ethical Dimensions (2020). He has held visiting positions at All Souls College, Oxford; Exeter College, Oxford; UCL Institute of Education; and the Australian National University. Bakhurst is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He is Executive Editor of Journal of Philosophy of Education.
Monographs
- The Heart of the Matter: Ilyenkov, Vygotsky and the Courage of Thought (Leiden, Brill, 2023)
- The Formation of Reason (Oxford, Wiley-Blackwell, 2011)
- Consciousness and Revolution in Soviet Philosophy (Cambridge University Press, 1991)
Edited Books / Collections
- (with Paul Fairfield) Education and Conversation: Exploring Oakeshottâs Legacy. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2016.
- (with B. Hooker and M. Little) Thinking about Reasons: Themes from the Philosophy of Jonathan Dancy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
- (with S. Shanker) Jerome Bruner: Language, Culture, Self. London: Sage, 2001.
- (with C. Sypnowich) The Social Self. London: Sage, 1995.
Edited Journal Issues
- (with Martin Sticker) Kant on Education and Improvement. Special Issue of Journal of Philosophy of Education, 55(6), 2021.
- Teaching and Learning: Epistemic, Metaphysical and Ethical Dimensions. Special Issue of Journal of Philosophy of Education, 54 (2), 2020.
- (with I. Kliger) Hegel in Russia. Special Issue of Studies in East European Thought, 65 (3-4), 2013.
Recent Journal Articles
- "Philosophy, Activity, Life", Philosophy of Science and Technology/Đ€ĐžĐ»ĐŸŃĐŸŃĐžŃ ĐœĐ°ŃĐșĐž Đž ŃĐ”Ń
ĐœĐžĐșĐž, 27 (12), 2022: 31-45.
- "Education for Metaphysical Animals", Journal of Philosophy of Education, 56 (6), 2022: 812-826.
- "Categorical Moral Requirements"/«ĐаŃĐ”ĐłĐŸŃĐžŃĐ”ŃĐșОД ĐŒĐŸŃалŃĐœŃĐ” ŃŃĐ”Đ±ĐŸĐČĐ°ĐœĐžŃ», Kantian Journal/ĐĐ°ĐœŃĐŸĐČŃĐșĐžĐč ŃĐ±ĐŸŃĐœĐžĐș, 41(1) (2022), pp. 40â59.
- "Human Nature, Reason and Morality", Journal of Philosophy of Education, 55 (6), 2021: 1-16.
- (with Martin Sticker) "Kant on Education and Improvement: Themes and Problems", Journal of Philosophy of Education, 55 (6), 2021: 1-12.
- "AprĂšs le dĂ©luge: Teaching and learning in the age of COVIDâ. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 55 (4â5) (2021): 1â12. .
- âAnalysis and Transcendence in The Sovereignty of Goodâ, European Journal of Philosophy 28 (2020): 214â223.
- âTeaching, Telling and Technologyâ, Journal of Philosophy of Education 54/2 (2020): 305â318.
- âTeaching and Learning: Epistemic, Metaphysical and Ethical DimensionsâIntroductionâ, Journal of Philosophy of Education 54/2 (2020): 355â267.
- âPractice, Sensibility, and Moral Educationâ, Journal of Philosophy of Education 52/4 (2018): 677â694.
- âTrouble with Knowledgeâ, Philosophy, 93/3 (2018): 433â453.
- âOn Leninâs Materialism and Empirocriticismâ, Studies in East European Thought 70 (2018): 107â119, DOI: 10.1007/s11212-018-9303-7.
- âActivity, Action and Self-consciousnessâ, Educational Review 70/1 (2018): 91-99, DOI: 10.1080/00131911.2018.1388618.
- âTraining, Transformation, and Educationâ, Royal Institute of Philosophy Supplement 76 (2015): 301-327.
Recent Chapters in Books
- "Mind, Reason, Knowledge", in R.Curren (ed.) Handbook of Philosophy of Education. Abingdon, Oxon and New York: Routledge, 2023, 57-68.
- âE. V. Ilyenkov: Philosophy as the Science of Thoughtâ, in M. Bykova, L. Steiner and M. Forster (eds), The Palgrave Handbook of Russian Thought (forthcoming).
- âPunks versus Zombies: Evald Ilyenkov and the Battle for Soviet Philosophyâ, in V. Lektorsky and M. Bykova (eds.), Philosophical Thought in Russia in the Second Half of the 20th Century: A Contemporary View from Russia and Abroad. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2019, 53â78.
- âThe Spirit of Pragmatism in the Quads of Oxfordâ, in C. Misak and H. Price (eds), The Practical Turn: Pragmatism in Britain in the Long Twentieth Century. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018, 75-90.
- (with Cheryl Misak) âWittgenstein and Pragmatismâ, in H.-J. Glock and J. Hyman (eds), The Blackwell Companion to Wittgenstein. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2017, 731-745.
- âEducation and Conversationâ, in D. Bakhurst and P. Fairfield (eds), Education and Conversation: Exploring Oakeshottâs Legacy. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2016, 5-26.
- âActivity and the Search for True Materialismâ, in V. Oittenen and A. Maidansky (eds), The Practical Essence of Man: The âActivity Approachâ in Late Soviet Philosophy. Leiden: Brill, 2015, 17-28.
Recent Review Articles
- âIlyenkovâs Passionâ, Mind, Culture, and Activity 22/1 (2015): 68-73.
- âUnderstanding Vygotsky: Jan Derryâs Vygotsky, Psychology and Educationâ, Learning, Culture and Social Interaction 5 (2015): 1-4.
- âDavid Wigginsâs Sameness and Substance Renewedâ, Philosophy 79/1 (2004): 133-141.
Work in progress
I am working on the concepts of habit, imagination and critical reasoning.
Media
âPhilosophyâs Blindspotâ, , 6 January, 2023
Interview with
Teaching
(2023-2024)
Current Supervision
4 doctoral students working respectively on Iris Murdoch, ethical particularism, Evald Ilyenkov, and philosophy of psychiatry