Notes on Administration and Philosophy
| Date | 01 February 1972 |
| Published date | 01 February 1972 |
| Pages | 119-127 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb009677 |
| Author | R. OLIVER GIBSON |
| Subject Matter | Education |
THE JOURNAL
OF
EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION 119
VOLUME
X, NUMBER 2 OCTOBER, 1972
Notes on Administration and Philosophy
R. OLIVER GIBSON
Administration and philosophy are seen as having to do with human
behavior. Philosophy, in its concern for interpretation of human
behavior, provides a useful method in hemeneutics. Praxiology,
as the study of goal-oriented practice, lends itself to the study of
administrative behavior. The two areas of analytic study provide a
nexus between administration and philosophy. Human experience
is seen as having two components, the one objective (signness) and
the other subjective (symbolic). The symbolic aspect is an integral
part of culture and provides the basis for social control through
ideology which constitutes a patterned symbolic belief-value system.
The continuing creation of a symbolic representation of "reality" may
be seen as social creation of text. Interpretation of that text is the
task of hermeneutic method. Since goals are, by their very nature,
primarily symbolic, praxiology needs to focus upon the role of
symbolism in administrative behavior, particularly as it relates to
organizational legitimacy and compliance. Issues that cut across the
two fields included the nature of man, the nature of freedom and
necessity, and the nature of the good society.
INTRODUCTION
The thought of administration brings to mind for many people
notions of action that get intended affairs accomplished with as little
time and energy as possible. At the same time our collective ways of
viewing human action do not appear to ascribe positive value to the
possible contribution of reflection to action. Indeed reflective thought
has been seen as a hindrance to action. This point of view is expressed
by Hamlet:
PROFESSOR R. OLIVER GIBSON is Professor of Education in the State
University of New York at Buffalo. Formerly a teacher and chief school officer
in Nova Scotia, Professor Gibson has been a lecturer at Harvard University.
He holds the degrees of
B.A.
with
first
class honours in philosophy from Mount
Allison University, Canada, and the Ed. M. and Ed. D. from Harvard. Winner
of the Queen's Medal in 1953, Professor Gibson is also a member of
Phi
Delta
Kappa. His publications include (with Herold C. Hunt)
The School Personnel
Administrator
(1965).
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