At the Heart of the Advocacy Dilemma: A Mechanistic World View

Abstract

The conflict which sometimes arises between acting simultaneously as a child advocate and as a professional employee is related to the philosophical underpinnings which inspire the current approach to special education. These underpinnings are manifested in a mechanistic view of reality that entered Western thought through Newtonian physics. Criticisms of this world view from various sciences are presented, centering on its narrow and inaccurate representation of reality, and specifically of behavior and learning. A nonmechanistic set of assumptions about the nature of reality and of behavior is juxtaposed as a strong force in contemporary scientific thought. This nonmechanistic or holistic world view is set forth as a better model to guide special education practices for the future.