Leadership, Hermeneutics and Empiricism

A recent article in this journal by John Smith and Joseph Blase criticized empiricism as a theoretical base for theories of educational leadership, suggested hermeneutics as a replacement host theory and then, in its terms, advanced some views on leadership. Without rejecting their thoughts concerning proper leadership, argues that much of what they say is consistent not just with hermeneutics but with versions of empiricism less “straw‐mannish” than the view they reject. Identifies difficulties in the hermeneutical theories advanced by Smith and Blase and advances an alternative philosophical framework for educational leadership theory.