Acknowledgments

1As the teacher who introduced me to Saussure and Wittgenstein, Austin Quigley stands at one inception of this book. I have longed ever since for more of his guidance. But before I could secure it for my first draft, years ago, he had begun his own family project. I hope the present draft may renew our acquaintance.

2My first written attempts were shepherded by Vic Gioscia of the AION Foundation. I have borrowed from him not only phrases but attitudes and stages of thought. I trust he prefers the being of a shepherd to the role of gray eminence, but I’m afraid he must bear both burdens.

3At three stages during the composition, Richard Rorty generously responded to my thinking and writing. I told him once that my project might be at its best the contrary of his. He smiled and said, “Well, we’ll see.” I hope I may have provoked his continued guidance as well.

4I encountered the philosophy of Heidegger in courses given by an organization now called Landmark Education Corporation. As I continue to study his philosophy, I find myself returning often to the conversations we generated there.

5To Tom Estes, Eric Bredo, Patti Driskill, and Susie Neuhauser; to my students in the Upward Bound program and my crewmates at Outward Bound; and to the Philosophy of Education Society, I am grateful for ever renewed chances to practise my commitment and improvise my material.

6And of course, to my father and mother, my children, and my wife—we who have most intimately parented each other—I owe every blessing.