Towards a Concept of Human Being as a Basis for a Philosophy of Special Education

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Abstract
The principal questions to be tackled by philosophers interested in the elucidation of the idea of Special Education are held to reside in the problems of definition, epistemology, ethics and metaphysics. Some of its definitions are vague or arbitrary and encapsulate unquestioned assumptions, that turn out to be controversial or question‐begging. Examination of the cognitive character of Special Education leads to the conclusion that it constitutes a practical field of knowledge and enquiry, drawing on the insights afforded it by a range of disciplines apt for the solution of its problems, among which the most important are interpersonal understanding and moral beliefs. The moral problems of Special Education are shown to be of two kinds—both the normative and the meta‐ethical. The Categorical Imperative of Kant is proposed as one criterion on the basis of which Special Educators ground their efforts to maximise that autonomy which individuals need to cope with the world. This conclusion is entailed by a metaphysic of human being, involving a theory of man distinguished by his capacity in principle to engage in rational thought and communicate with others. The principal feature of interchanges involving at least minimal competence in these two characteristics is held to be a predisposition to such principles as equality, respect for others and altruism. These are concluded to be the core constituents of the human interactions that underpin the entire enterprise of Special Education.

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