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Chapter 1 10 that it is their aim to guide educational practices. 38 That said, there are many ways in which educational theory can guide educational practices. Real practices When I speak of ‘real’ educational practices the meaning of ‘real’ ranges from what is actually happening – at this moment – in actual educational practices, to what is and could be possible in the educational practices of this world, but excludes ideas about what might be possible in a different (probably: better) world. Bernard Williams makes a distinction between ‘real’ and ‘notional’ options. 39 Something is a real option for someone if she already does it or could go and do it, without having to change human history, and while keeping a hold on reality, not engaging in extensive self-deception, and so on. Notional options on the other hand are options that one can contemplate, but never really execute, like for example living as a medieval knight. This is something that is perhaps possible in a ‘different world’, but not in ours, due to our ‘human condition’. 40 We can think of how that might be, but the fact that we cannot time-travel excludes the option as a real possibility. A slightly different approach to what are ‘real’ options can be found in Gavin Lawrence’s claim that Aristotle’s question to what the ultimate aim of human beings is (the flourishing life) can (and should actually) be differentiated into two questions. 41 The first question one can ask is what a human life ideally would look like, i.e. what would ideally happen in such a life, if anything is possible. This is what Lawrence calls ‘the ideally circumstanced ideal’. 42 But a second interpretation of ‘the best life’ is asking: what would be ideal given the particular circumstances of a human life? Lawrence calls this ‘the however circumstanced ideal’. 43 For example, if a teacher could create her own classroom without any restrictions, she would perhaps have six children in her class, make her classroom and herself available at any time, and have all the material available the children might possibly ask for, so that every child can learn at her own pace. However, the fact that the teacher is restricted ‘in the real world’ by time (how would she logistically and physically organise a 24/7 open classroom and teaching job), and money (just to name a few things) inspires a different question, namely ‘What would be the best option for the teacher given these restrictions?’ This would come down to for example making sure that every child gets enough attention (even though there are 25 children in the classroom and not enough computers), so that she – ideally – can let 38 See chapter 3. 39 Williams 1985, p. 178 40 See also Emmet 1994, p. 7. 41 Lawrence 1993. 42 Ibid., p. 8. 43 Ibid., p. 7.