Dr David Lewin
Reader
Strathclyde Institute of Education
Personal statement
I am Senior Lecturer in Philosophy of Education at Strathclyde University. With a background in Theology and Religious Studies, as well as a brief but significant career in Computer Science, my work engages with topics at the intersections between philosophy of education, philosophy of religion, and philosophy of technology. My current research focuses on notions of didactical and pedagogical representation and reduction. I co-lead the ‘Experiments in Educational Theory’ research group based at the University of Strathclyde (www.exet.org).
I teach across a range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes within the School of Education. I am the Course Leader for Joint Honours Education, and students on that programme are welcome to contact me at any time by email. My office is also on the 2nd floor of Lord Hope and students are also welcome to come along to talk with me (best to make an appointment in case I am out).
Area of Expertise
My primary expertise is in conceptual and philosophical research. As part of my work, I supervise a number of Masters and PhD students in different fields of conceptual research. Those fields include for example:
- Mindfulness in Education
- Religion and Education
- Philosophy and Education
- Spirituality and Mysticism
- Comparative religious traditions
- Philosophy of Technology
- Conceptual issues in the use of technology in education
- Martin Heidegger
- Paul Ricoeur
Prize And Awards
- Research Fellow
- Recipient
- 1/8/2022
- Honorary Research Fellow
- Recipient
- 9/11/2021
- Visiting Research - Nanjing Normal University
- Recipient
- 30/11/2019
- Travel funding
- Recipient
- 17/3/2016
Publications
- Pedagogy as gifting : (Re)conceptualising the anglophonic
- Adams Paul, Lewin David, Óskarsdóttir Edda, Waterman-Evans Louis, Paulgaard Gry, Turunen Tuija, Saus Merete, Vijayavarathan-R Kalpana, Darling-McQuistan Kirsten
- European Conference on Educational Research 2025 (2025)
- Does a religious universalism haunt secular religious education?
- Lewin David
- Journal of Philosophy of Education Vol 59, pp. 527-545 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.1093/jopedu/qhae084
- Universal individuals : national education in a globalized age
- Kenklies Karsten, Lewin David
- Journal of Philosophy of Education Vol 59, pp. 464-469 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.1093/jopedu/qhaf018
- Philosophical approaches to religion and education
- Lewin David
- The Oxford Handbook of Religion and Education (2025) (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198869511.013.9
- Bildung as educational purpose : reimagining the goals of religious education
- Lewin David
- Ethics and Education Vol 20, pp. 77-91 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.1080/17449642.2025.2450951
- What’s next for RE? : A Framework for a religion and worldviews curriculum
- Lewin David, Christopher Katherine
- REXchange (2024)
Research Interests
David has published around 50 articles, chapters and books on such interdisciplinary notions as ‘Silence and Attention’, ‘The Pharmacological nature of Educational Technology,’ and ‘Post-secularism’ as well as on figures such as Meister Eckhart, Martin Heidegger, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, and Paul Ricoeur. David is the sole author of two books: Technology and the Philosophy of Religion (Cambridge Scholars, 2011) and Educational Philosophy for a Post-secular Age (Routledge, 2016). David’s current research focuses on notions of didactical and pedagogical representation and reduction (see: After World Religions Discussion)
David co-leads the ‘Experiments in Educational Theory’ research group based at the University of Strathclyde (www.exet.org).
- Professional Activities:
- General Secretary of the Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain
- Secretary for the Strathclyde branch of the Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain
- Editorial Board Member: Medieval Mystical Theology: The Journal of the Eckhart Society
- Review Board Member: Educational Theory
- Associate Editor: Brill Research Perspectives in Religion and Education
- Editorial Board Member: Journal of Belief and Values: studies in religion and education
- Editorial Board Member: Transformations in Higher Education
- Review work (Journals):
- Reviewer for British Educational Research Association, Philosophy of Education Special Interest Group
- Reviewer for The Journal of the Philosophy of Education
- Reviewer for Educational Philosophy and Theory
- Reviewer for Journal of Education and Christian Belief
- Reviewer for Angelaki: The Journal of the Theoretical Humanities
- Book Review Editor for Medieval Mystical Theology: The Journal of the Eckhart Society
- Review work (books):
- Routledge (Philosophy of Technology)
- Routledge (Philosophy of Education)
Professional Activities
- What’s the ‘Use’ in Higher Education? Examining the notion of usefulness in the past, present, and future of universities: The past
- Organiser
- 10/10/2025
- Blog post: Can AI Truly Begin?
- Recipient
- 10/7/2025
- Blog: GenAI and Education: A Hypothesis
- Recipient
- 7/2025
- Ethics and Education (Journal)
- Peer reviewer
- 1/7/2025
- Blog: The Stochastic Clock
- Recipient
- 7/2025
- Journal of Philosophy of Education (Journal)
- Peer reviewer
- 1/7/2025
Projects
- PESGB Summer School 2025 - 2028
- Lewin, David (Principal Investigator) Frimberger, Katja (Co-investigator) Kenklies, Karsten (Co-investigator) Robertson, Nicola (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2025 - 31-Jan-2028
- What’s the ‘use’ in Higher Education? Examining the notion of usefulness in the past, present, and future of universities.
- Robertson, Nicola (Principal Investigator) Kenklies, Karsten (Co-investigator) Lewin, David (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2025 - 30-Jan-2026
- Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain Summer School
- Lewin, David (Principal Investigator) Frimberger, Katja (Principal Investigator) Kenklies, Karsten (Co-investigator) Robertson, Nicola (Co-investigator)
- The PESGB Summer School offers an opportunity for undergraduate and postgraduate students to learn more about philosophy of education through a range of activities led by philosophers of education in a university campus setting and alternates between the two groups of students. The Undergraduate Summer School (around 40-50 students) normally involves three days of lectures, seminar discussions and social activities around a theme proposed and organised by the hosts. The Postgraduate Summer School (around 12-15 students) normally runs for five days and is typically led by one philosopher in discussion with others around a particular theme. The Summer School is free to attend and the Society funds all meals and accommodation. Participants are responsible for their own travel costs but a limited number of travel bursaries are available for applicants who are able to demonstrate financial need.
- 31-Jan-2024 - 31-Jan-2028
- After Religious Education: Curricula Principles for education in Religion and Worldviews
- Lewin, David (Principal Investigator)
- 01-Jan-2021 - 15-Jan-2024
- Development of collaboration between The School of Education, Strathclyde University and The Education University of Hong Kong
- Adams, Paul (Principal Investigator) Kenklies, Karsten (Principal Investigator) Lewin, David (Principal Investigator)
- Faculty and School funding to develop further collaborative links with EduHK
- 01-Jan-2019
- Global Engagements Fund Collaborative Visit to The Education Univerrsity of Hong Kong
- Adams, Paul (Co-investigator) Hunter, Sharon (Principal Investigator) Kenklies, Karsten (Co-investigator) Lewin, David (Co-investigator)
- Visit by four members of The School of Education, Strathclyde University to the Department for Policy and Leadership, The Education University of Hong Kong
- 05-Jan-2018 - 12-Jan-2018
Contact
Dr
David
Lewin
Reader
Strathclyde Institute of Education
Email: david.lewin@strath.ac.uk
Tel: 444 8039