“Necessary Utopia”: The Educational Imagination of Reconstructionism

Reconstructionism is known as the post-progressive philosophy of education. As the founder and main spokesman of reconstructionism, Theodore Brameld pointed out that progressive education represents cultural liberalism, while essentialism education represents cultural conservatism and perennialism education represents cultural absolutism. On the other hand, he advocated reconstructionist philosophy of education characterized by cultural radicalism. Reconstructionism inherits the rich contributions of progressivism, essentialism and perennialism, and has made important innovations. Irrational "myth" is the innovation and characteristic of reconstructionism, which is mainly manifested in the utopian impulse in its teleology and the emphasis on irrational resources in its methodology. Cultural radicalism characterized by irrational "myth" is the core of the educational imagination of reconstructionism. As a school of thought, while reconstructionism has few disciples, cultural radicalism, as its core, has penetrated into the marrow of modern education.