Nick’s quasi-facetious pet term for a rhetorical and methodological phenomenon in philosophy of education. The Axiom of Perfect Method refers to the assumption among education theorists that:
  1. There is One Right Way to go about each aspect of pedagogy (sometimes referred to as “Best Practices”)
  2. It is within our power to discover this Way
  3. We have a moral responsibility to implement it upon as many children as possible
    The APM accounts for much of virulence of educational reform theories. Its roots can be traced back at least as far as Rousseau, though it is also implicit in Plato’s rhetorical strategies in The Republic. Arendt indirectly critiques the APM in her essay on education in Between Past and Future.
    The APM tends to lead to insanity, stupidity, and self-righteousness in educators.

    See also:

    • [Problem of the Right to Teach]