This book explores the themes of seriousness and human voice in education, drawing on the work of the American philosopher Stanley Cavell.

Cavell’s views on culture, the arts, politics, morality, judgement, vulnerability, and the need for people to find something they can be sincere and serious in, are discussed in relation to education. The book represents a reappraisal of seriousness in education, art and philosophy, getting to the heart of what matters in education beyond ideology. Drawing on examples from film, theatre, literature and educational practice, it provides a philosophical analysis of conventional assumptions of educational seriousness. It offers an analysis of the central importance of voice and expression in education for both learners and teachers in terms of what it means to speak authentically; both literally, in conversation, and through forms of artistic expression. Carefully chosen examples offer insights into the value of drama in education for understanding the way in which we each inhabit a voice and body and give it expression. Cavell’s work is brought into conversation with a number of philosophers, with Austin, Dewey, Derrida and Wittgenstein all contributing to a reappraisal of what it means to be serious and how slippery and elusive this can be.