First Published in 1995. In the past decade or two, the most important theoretical perspective to emerge in mathematics education has been that of constructivism. This burst onto the international scene at the controversial Eleventh International Conference on the Psychology of Mathematics Education in Montreal in the summer of 1987. No one there will forget von Glasersfeld's authoritative plenary presentation on radical con­structivism, and his replies to critics. Ironically, the conference, at which attacks on radical constructivism were perhaps intended to expose fatally its weaknesses, ser

RADICAL CONSTRUCTIVISM

Autobiographical sketches by the philosopher and semioticist Ernst von Glasersfeld. The author writes: "Memories are a personal affair. They are what comes to mind when you think back, not what might in fact have happened at that earlier time in your life. You can no longer be certain of what seemed important then, because you are now looking at the past with today's eyes. The Italian philosopher Giambattista Vico had that insight three hundred years ago: When we think of things that lie in the past, we see them in terms of the concepts we have now."

Partial Memories

Key Works on Radical Constructivism brings together a number of essays by Ernst von Glasersfeld that illustrate the application of a radical constructivist way of thinking in the areas of education, language, theory of knowledge, and the analysis of a few concepts that are indispensable in almost everything we think and do. Ernst von Glasersfeld’s work opens a window on how we know what we know. The present work grew out of a desire to make more accessible this line of thought, to highlight its originality and consistency, and to illustrate its fecundity in the domains of cognition and learnin

Key Works in Radical Constructivism

The Construction of Knowledge

Constructivisme

Wissen und Wirklichkeit

Il costruttivismo radicale. Una via per conoscere e apprendere

Radikaler Konstruktivismus

Unverbindliche Erinnerungen

Zwei ältere Herren, einer Biophysiker, der andere Psychologe, treffen sich, um über die Vergangenheit zu sprechen. Das könnte eine ganz alltägliche Geschichte sein. Allerdings handelt es sich bei den beiden Protagonisten um die Väter des Radikalen Konstruktivismus. Der Bitte ihre Verlegers, ein Tonband mitlaufen zu lassen, kamen sie gerne nach. Ein Glücksfall, wie sich im Nachhinein herausstellt. in einem ungemein spannenden, quicklebendigen Dialog werden komplexe wissenschaftliche Fragen auf allgemeinverständliche Weise thematisiert: Was haben Kurzwellen und Kühe gemein? Warum vergräbt ein Ei