Relationship between philosophy and education

 RELATION BETWEEN PHILOSOPHY AND EDUCATION:

THERE IS A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PHILOSOPHY AND EDUCATION,ALL EDUCATION IS BASED ON THE VIEWS OF THE PHILOSOPHERS AND MANY PHILOSOPHERS WERE ALSO EDUCATIONISTS,SOME OF THEM WERE PLATO,ARISTOTLE,DEWY.ROUSSEAU,RUSSELL.ETC.

 

EDUCATION ALWAYS REMAINED AN IMPORTANT AREA OF INVESTIGATION OF PHILOSOPHERS AND THEY WERE GREATLY INTERESTED IN THE EDUCATION OF A MAN FOR H8IS PROGRESS.IT WILL BE PROPER TO DEFINE BOTH THE FIELDS IN ORDER TO FIND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THEM.

 

DEFINITION OF PHILOSOPHY:

 

PHILOSOPHY IS A SET OF IDEAS AND BELIEFS ABOUT THE REALITY OF GOD,MAN AND UNIVERSE,IT RESEARCHES INTO THE NATURE AND PURPOSE OF EVERYTHING THAT EXISTS.

DEFINITION OF EDUCATION:

Education is a teaching and learning process which continues throughout life and it aims at an all round development of an individual's character and personality that he turns out to be a better person than before.

RELATIONSHIP:

From the above definitions it is clear that philosophers are greatly interested in the intellectual, moral and social life of man. They also discussed the nature of the aims of education, the kind of curriculum required for the learners, the role of the teacher ad pupils and the use of suitable teaching methods for favorable classroom environment.

 The philosophers provide a guideline to the educationists and to the policy makers of education. As a result, the educationists expand their ideas and elaborate aims, curriculum and teaching methods

1. Aims and objectives of education:

Philosophers always determined aims and objectives for education and were searching for an ultimate aim of education. Nearly all of them agreed that the chief aim of education is SELF REALIZATION or GOOD LIFE. According to SOCRATES, education is to produce a virtuous man, PLATO talked about four cardinal virtues IE wisdom, courage, self control and justice. 

For Aristotle the aim of education is the development of body, mind and soul. Educationists received guidance form the philosophers and elaborated their ideas regarding education. They had put emphasis on an all round development of the personality and presented the following aims of education

. Intellectual aim will develop thinking power of the learners.

.  Moral aim will develop qualities of character.

.  Physical aim will keep the body healthy. Social aim will lead to cooperative life.

.  Religious aim will develop a love for the creator.

.  Cultural aim will lead to civilization.

.  Vocational aim will lead to earning a living by fair means.

.  Citizenship aim will develop national and international understanding.

.  Aesthetic aim will develop a love for nature and beauty.

.  Recreational aim will develop a sense of enjoyment in life.

2. Curriculum or structure of knowledge:

The curriculum or the structure of knowledge to be imparted for the progress of man is also discussed by philosophers. According to them the subjects of study should be organized around cognitive functions.

 It will include sciences, language, literature, mathematics, religion, ethics etc. Early Greek Philosophers talked about Seven Liberal Arts to be part of curriculum. It will be based on the study of

(i) Astronomy,

 (ii) Grammar,

 (iii) Geometry,

 (iv) Logic,

 (v) Mathematics,

 (vi)Music and

(vii) Oratory. Plato in his books Republic & the laws recommends subjects of study for different stages of man's education.

Again the guide-lines, for the kind of curriculum required for the education of man, are provided by philosophers, and Educationists explain it in detail. The educationists would determine the curriculum for different levels as per man's ability, aptitude & interest.

 They talk about elementary level, secondary level, & higher level. At elementary level, subjects of general knowledge would be included, (mathematics, language, history, geography, art & (science).

At secondary level, there will be a division of science subjects, arts subjects & technical subjects. At higher level, there will be specialization in different fields of life. Medicine, engineering,agriculture, teaching, forestry, computers etc

3. Methods of Teaching:

Methods of teaching have also been discussed by the philosophers and from their guidance new methods were discovered by educationists. Philosophers gave great importance to dialogue or Questioning method.

 Here, the discussion begins with the raising of questions, thinking over them and discovering the correct answer. Both the teacher and the pupils have to prepare themselves for this. Four aspects of discussion and dialogue are the following:

.   Exploration, it means finding and exploring the truth

by asking many questions.

.   Explanation, it is the ability to find out facts, collect information and verify the facts.

.   Inference, it is the ability to do logical reasoning. To study facts and draw inference.

.   Prediction, it is the ability to predict the correct answer on the basis of the collection of information and study. In this manner new ideas and concepts are presented.

With the help of guide-line provided by the philosophers, the educationists have introduced many new methods of teaching which would be suitable for the teaching of various types of lessons at all levels.

.  Lecture method would give factual knowledge. 2. Discussion method would fetch many new ideas.

.   Experimental method would prove the validity of knowledge.

.   Activity method will involve the students in the lesson.

.   Story-telling method will convert lesson into stories.

.   Play-way method would create interest of the learners in the subject.

 

4- The Role of Teachers and Students:

The role of teachers and students has been highlighted by philosophers. About the teachers role, the philosophers wanted that they should have professional excellence. They must guide the students with their wisdom. They should develop interest and enthusiasm among the students towards seeking knowledge.

 According to philosophers, the mind of the students is also full of ideas, they should not remain passive in the class. they must express themselves. They should become hardworking and should de self-study and participate fully in the class. The educationists have

also pointed out many characteristics of good teachers. That the teacher should be a role-model of punctuality and hard-work for the students. They must have a balanced personality and treat the students kindly and patiently. They should present model of polite speech so that students also develop good habits.

The students should fully participate in the developments of the lesson. They should have at high moral character and should possess qualities of honesty, truthfulness, tolerance and respect for all human beings.

5- Deep thinking:

Philosophers believe in deep thinking. For this purpose they recommend methods of comparison and contrast, in this manner it is possible to gain true knowledge and to solve many problems of life. By this technique of comparison, similarities and differences are known, a true picture is before us.

 Educationists also consider that through a process of learning "thinking power" of the students should be developed. The students should be encouraged to find the answers of the questions themselves. Where ever they find a difficulty, the teacher should guide them. Readymade answers will not develop the creativity of the students.