Accompanied by the concept of competence the standard-based reform of the educational system in Germany was set in the early 2000s. Hence, competence became the point of reference concerning pedagogical ambitions. Both competence as well as the standard-driven approach emerged as subjects of controversies within the field of pedagogical research. As supporters of competence state, the focus on competence in educational contexts allows to resolve the problem of learning knowledge which can’t be used in fields of action. On the other hand, there is research which concludes that competence results in and limits itself to the extraction of information out of educational resources for the sake of solving tasks without questioning the used information any further. Given the validity of this critical observation and perception, there is the assumption that competence and discrete thinking won’t cross paths as they seem to be incommensurate with each other. Thus, as guidance concerning pedagogical practice, competence could mark a farewell from the development of discrete thinking. The upgrowth of such an autonomous use of reason however, is to be seen as a traditional tenet within pedagogical consciousness and contemplation. A congruous line of tradition within pedagogical scholarship is actually a notion for which can be argued. Currently, seen from this perspective, there seems to be a tense situation regarding tradition and the present. This doctoral thesis, grounded within a hermeneutical approach of research, contributes to a clarification of the said situation. In usage of philosophical considerations by Immanuel Kant, initially a term and concept of autonomous use of reason is shaped. The gained understanding of autonomous reason provides the foundation for an analysis of competence; the angle of view on competence hereby is a conceptual one. How competence and the developed concept formation relate to each other sums up the major interest. Furthermore, the standard-based reform and competence are being contextualized within young pedagogical history on the basis of an exemplary approach. The actuality of the pedagogical line of tradition mentioned above, on the eve and at the time of the standard-based reform, gets pointed out as the core result. Hence, there is the question, whether competence marks a break with this at least recently vital line of tradition. In this thesis there is no unambiguous answer to this question posed. It is much more an inherent ambiguity within the concept of competence which is concluded in the end.weiterlesen