In The Formation of Reason, philosophy professor David Bakhurst utilizes ideas from philosopher John McDowell to develop and defend a socio-historical account of the human mind.

Provides the first detailed examination of the relevance of John McDowell's work to the Philosophy of Education
Draws on a wide-range of philosophical sources, including the work of 'analytic' philosophers Donald Davidson, Ian Hacking, Peter Strawson, David Wiggins, and Ludwig Wittgenstein
Considers non-traditional ideas from Russian philosophy and psychology, represented by Ilyenkov and Vygotsky
Discusses foundational philosophical ideas in a way that reveals their relevance to educational theory and practice