Our Vision
We recognise the immense significance of philosophical work through deliberation, argument, contemplation, and dialogue. As a Society, we are committed to ethical practices, the global diversity of philosophical scholarship, and confronting issues of injustice through our teaching and research. We seek and support mutual learning from diverse worldviews and philosophies. In this we are guided by values of care, trust, academic and personal integrity, respect, equity and inclusion, courage, humility, and the fair negotiation of power imbalances and privileges. Our commitment to scholarly rigour and excellence remains at the core of our activities, reflecting our aim to elevate the discipline of philosophy of education and its transformative potential in universities, schools, and educational and public settings throughout Australasia and globally.
History of the Society
The PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION SOCIETY OF AUSTRALASIA (PESA) is an academic learned society which was established in 1970, one year after its journal, Educational Philosophy and Theory was first published.
PESA and has a rich history which extends from its foundations in Australia and New Zealand to becoming a global organisation with international membership by the early 2000s.
PESA was established at a time when similar societies were being set up in the western world after the so-called revolution in analytic philosophy led by R.S. Peters and the London School in Britain and by Israel Scheffler at Harvard University in the USA. PESA is now an international organization with worldwide membership and increasing number of members from Asia and Scandinavia.
PESA is a non-profit society incorporated under Western Australian legislation. The current rules can be found here.
Activities
PESA organises meetings, conferences and seminars on topics of interest to philosophy of education. It funds scholarships, provides research grants, and publishes appropriate material related to philosophy of education.
PESA is supported by income generated through its publications, especially its journal Educational Philosophy and Theory.
Membership is open to those with a professional interest in the philosophy of education. There is no residential requirement and membership is international.
Find out more about becoming a PESA Member
Donate to PESA
PESA as a non-profit learned society invites people to donate to help PESA continue its core goals of research and promotion of the Philosophy of Education. If you would like to support the work of PESA in the form of a donation or a bequest in your will, please contact us at
