At the very center of the reflection on pedagogical thought there will be the reconstruction of the evolution of pedagogy, from the connection with the philosophy and the birth of the educational science up to the current tension between scientific and philosophical-critical dimensions. Pedagogy will be examined taking into account its dual role of reflection on education and guidance for the praxis. The identity of this science will be better deepened by examining its main issues and relevance in the current socio-educational context.
The “double soul” of pedagogy, will be analyzed. This soul reveals the double principle of its epistemological foundation. The first, it deals with its eminently theoretical dimension of reflective knowledge among the sciences used for the making of a theoretical interpretation and approach to education. The second, which deals with a social-historical dimension, refers to the multiple connections that pedagogics build and continually re-build in the interaction with societies, cultures, political contexts and emerging problems.
In the course, the clarification of the origins and reasons of the existence of so-called “paradox” of pedagogical research, that is to say, the device represented by the educational intention, will be a crucial strategy to outline the development of a theory of praxis and for educational practice.