Aline Nardo, "Evolutionary Theory and Education" (Brill, 2025)

Episode 258 of the De Gruyter Brill on the Wire podcast, hosted by New Books Network, titled "Aline Nardo, "Evolutionary Theory and Education" (Brill, 2025)" was published on July 29, 2025 and runs 66 minutes.

July 29, 2025 ·66m · De Gruyter Brill on the Wire

Summary

How has evolutionary theory shaped educational thinking over the past two centuries? ‘Evolutionary Theory and Education: The Influence of Evolutionary Thinking on Educational Theory and Philosophy’ (Brill, 2025) explores the considerable but under-appreciated influence of evolutionary ideas on educational theory and the philosophy of education. The book reveals the interplay between educational and evolutionary perspectives along the concepts of ‘adaptation’, ‘selection’, ‘inheritance’, and ‘progress’. It tracks these ideas across the works of various influential educational thinkers, including Herbert Spencer, Jean Piaget, John Dewey and Lev Vygotsky, and examines their continuing significance for how we understand and practice education today.

Episode Description