Subject matter of the Philosophy Of Education

OR

Is There Really a philosophy Of Education?

 Introduction:

  In reality, there is a close Relationship between Philosophy of Education. All education is based on philosophical views. Many Philosophies were also educationists. Education always Remained on important area of Investigation for Philosophers. Let us first define both the fields:

Definition of Philosophy:

Philosophy is a set of, ideas and beliefs about the purpose of man’s life, about the existence of God and about the origin of this surprising world:

Definition of Education:

Education is a Teaching and Learning Process, which aims at an all-Sound Development of an Individuals Personality, that his Moral, Social, Religion, Cultural, Intellectual, Physical and Economic Aspects are Polished and Improved.

From these Definition it is clear that Philosophers are Greatly Interested in the Intellectual, Moral and Social life of Man and Particularly in the education of man. They also Suggest Theories of good life for man. Philosophers have emphasized the Value and Importance of education for the proper Development of man. In their words “ Man becomes a man through education and Training.” Moreover Philosophers Raise many Question with Reference to Education for Example:

Educational Question of Philosophers:

     (a)     What constitutes an Educated Man?

(b)    Is Teaching a Science on an Art?

(c)     What is More Important—content or Method?

(d)    What should be an ultimate aim of education?

(e)     Is it right to prepare an individual for the society?

              The purpose of all these questions is to make educationists and planner to think of a sound system of education. Philosophers also discuss the nature of the aims of education, the kind of the curriculum required, the role of the teacher and pupils and suitable teaching methods. The philosophers provide a guide—line to educationists and policy makes of education. As a result of it educational objectives and of teaching methods.

(1) Aims and objectives of Education:

 Long before, in Greece, great Philosophers like Socrates, Plato and Aristotle have emphasized on the education of man of determined the aims and objectives of education. According to Socrates, education is to produce a virtues man. Plato  talked  about  four cardinal   virtues to be  developed through  a process of education ,  these are wisdom , courage , self-control  and justice .For Aristotle , education  aims at the development  of body , mind  and soul.

          These views of philosophers provided a guideline for education and educationists elaborated their ideas and presented a large number of aims and objectives. Educationists have put emphasis on an all-round development of individuals.

 Personality for this Purpose the Following Aims are presented:

 Intellectual aim will sharpen the thinking power.

Moral aim will develop qualities of character.

Physical aim will keep the body healthy.

Social aim will lead to cooperative life.

Religions aim will develop a love for the creature.

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:

    Philosophers also discuss the curriculum and the structure of knowledge to be imported for the progress of man.

According to them, the subjects of study should be organized around cognitive functions. It will include sciences, language, literature, maths religion, ethic 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 (vii) oratory. (Coral speech) Plato in his books “republic” and “the laws” recommends subjects of study for different stages of man.

 

Stages               Ages                                      Subjects of study

1-            (7   --- 9 years)          Riding, use of bow and arrow.

2-            (10 --- 17 years)        Games, Gymnastics, Reading, Writing, Music, and literature.

3-           (18 --- 20 years)         Number learning and cadetship.

4-          (21 --- 30 years)         Mathematics and science education.

5-           (31 --- 35 years)         Dialectic   (Logic)

6-           (36 --- 50 years)         Philosophy and Politics.

 

 Again the guidelines, for philosophers of Educationists provide the kind of Curriculum Required for the Education of man, explain it in detail. The educationists would determine the curriculum for different levels as per man’s ability, aptitude and interest. They talk about elementary level, secondary level and higher level. At elementary level, subjects of general knowledge would be included, (Math’s, language, history, geography, art+ Science). At secondary level, there will be a division of science subjects, Arts subjects of technical subjects. At higher level, there will be specialization in different fields medicine, engineering, agriculture, teaching, forestry, computer etc.

 3.                 Methods of Teaching:

 The philosophers of from their guidance new educationists discovered methods have also discussed methods of teaching. Philosophers gone great importance to Dialogue or Questioning method. Here, the discussion begins with the raising of questions, thinking on them and discovering the correct answers. Both the teacher of the pupils have to prepare them selves for this four aspects of discussion of dialogue are the following;

 (1)    Exploration, it means finding a exploring the truth by asking many questions.

(2)    Explanation, it means ability to find out facts, collect information and verify the facts

(3)    Inference, it is the ability to do logical  reasoning to study facts of draw inference.

(4)    Prediction, it is the ability to predict the correct answers on the basis of the collection of information of study. New ideas of concepts are presented.

 With the help the guide lines provided by the philosophers, the Educationist have presented many new methods of teaching which would be suitable for different levels. These are the following :

 

1.     Lecture methods will provide factual knowledge.

2.     Discussion method will fetch many new ideas.

3.     Experimental methods will prove the validity of knowledge.

4.     Activity method will involve pupils in learning situation.

5.     Play way methods will develops interest of the students.

6.     Story-teaching method will correct lessons into stories.

4.                 The role of Teachers of Students.

 

The role of teachers and students has bee highlighted by Philosophers. They have put stress on teachers to provide true knowledge and that they should be the maker of democracy of should have professional excellence. They should have a through knowledge of the subject matter of come well prepared to the class. Moreover, the students should not be passive listener. They must join in discussion of raise QS.

          The educationists have benefited from the philosophers and have pointed out many characteristics of good teachers. The chief role of the teacher is to build the character of the students. Teacher should present a practical model of polite speech. Teacher should have a balanced personality. They should be dedicated of devoted to teaching. Teacher must teach with interest and should act as a guide for the students.

          The students must be hardworking. They should be obedient of respectful to the teachers. They should read the lesson before hand so that they can participate in discussion. They should be allowed to express their ideas. 

Philosophy of education

 By_____________

Philosophy is derived form two Latin words. Philo and Sophia. Philo means “love” and sophia means “wisdom”. It means love for wisdom. Wisdom is the only quality due to which human beings are different fro0….                                                                                                                                          m animals. Every act or every activity has its own philosophy behind it. For example, the philosophy behind offering prayers is submission to God. While doing anything we use our brain and for this purpose, we use our wisdom or intellectual ability in which many things are involved.

i.                 Thinking

ii.               Planning

iii.             Decision making

iv.             Evaluation

v.               Observation

vi.             Selecting and rejecting

vii.           Concluding

viii.         Comparing and contrasting

ix.              Analyzing

x.                Assessing

xi.              Arguing

xii.            Synthesizing

xiii.          Comprehension

Definition of philosophy:

Leighton A-J defines it as “ philosophy gives a world view of the whole cosmos and a life view of the human beings values and purpose of life”

Montage.S has defined it as “Philosophy is an attempt to give reason and conception of the whole universe and of man’s place in it”. So brief we can say that philosophy provides a comprehensive relationship of man with universe and the creator of the universe.

This term is defined by a number of people by a number of ways. Some say that philosophy is “love for knowledge” some call it “pursuit of knowledge” the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines the term “ philosophy” as “search for knowledge and understanding of the nature and meaning of the universe and of human life” it is the study of the principles on which human behaviour is based. The world’s famous encyclopedia “Encyclopedia Britannica has defined philosophy as” the critical examination of the grounds for fundamental beliefs and an analysis of the basic concepts employed in the expression of such beliefs. Philosophical inquiry is a central element in the intellectual history of many historical civilizations.  In the light of above definition, it is concluded that philosophy is search for knowledge, wisdom, and the realties of life and principles. It is concerned with the a search for the eternal truth.

Functions/scope of philosophy:

Philosophy is an important subject that enables man to understand the very purpose of his existence in comparison to the universe, other living and non-living things and above all this helps him in understanding the relationship with his creator. Different philosophers have elaborated these important aspects of the philosophy in the form of functions of philosophy. Putting all the views of these philosophers,

 we can conclude the following:

1.               Philosophy searches for truth and reality

2.               Philosophy determines all standard of morality

3.               Philosophy criticized all existing fields of knowledge

4.               Philosophy propagates methods of deep thinking

5.               It investigate the whole realm of knowledge

6.               It gives a comprehensive worldview of life

7.               It discusses in detail the vital problems and issues of life

8.               It presents effective theories for successful living

9.               It preaches humbleness

10.            It makes people open minded

11.            It develops positive and objective outlook towards life

12.            It makes people inquisitive, rational and wise.

1.               It searches for truth and reality:

2.                

The foundation of philosophy lies in its investigative nature. It tries to find out the root causes and foundational facts about everything. It questions about the nature of vital issues of life. A real philosopher never satisfied until he reaches the root causes. Plato famous quotation explains this point very nicely. He says “ it is enough to say that a thing is so but the real knowledge to know why it is so”. If say this plant is green, it is not true but if a say why it is green this the true form of knowledge.

2:         It determines all standard of morality:

           

This subject takes great interest in the moral nature of man. It has a separate well

Developed branch which purely studies the moral aspects of human life and is called

Ethics. It deals with expected moral behaviour of man.

Humanity and its existence due to the belief and practice of high standard of morality. This subject takes great interest in the moral nature of man. It has separate well-developed branch, which purely studies the moral aspects of human life and is called ethics. it deals with expected moral behaviour of man

3:         It criticizes all existing fields of knowledge:

We criticize for improvement. The purpose is to analysis. It means break down into pieces for improvement. Philosophy criticizes all fields of knowledge. Criticism is a process, which if carried out in a healthy manner always leads to improvement and betterment. It involves analysis if the existing situation in order to put forward suggestions for better results. Critical approach in life ensures success and high level of achievement. There are two main advantages of criticism;

1.               It brings better comprehension of the composition of the nature of things

2.               It leads to improvement by developing the existing knowledge.

Philosophy has greatly criticized the following main institutions of life

1.               Government

This institution is criticized in order to find out the best form of govt. democracy, dictatorship and many other forms are analyzed in order to guide people for the best way of serving people.

2.               Education

This is another institution criticized by philosophers. The main purpose is improvement of the standard and quality of education

3.               Religion

In order to promote clarity of concepts, values ,believes and religion has been targeted by the philosophers. They believe in that philosophical understanding of the views and believes  that strengthen the faith

4.               It propagates method of deep thinking

Philosophy by nature is a reflective subject, which promotes thinking of all degree. Thinking is the tool of philosophers. They get involve in extensive and intensive thinking. The following are the main methods of deep thinking developed by philosophers.

i.                 Reflective thinking is that form of thinking where reflection of the past or previous activities are expected

ii.               Reasoning is a process of finding out systematic arguments to support the existing statements. Solid reasons for all knowledge established its validity or truthfulness. Reasoning highlights the root causes, promotes logical discussions and analytical discussion.

iii.             Comparison and contrast, in order to understand the nature, similarity and differences comparison and contrast is done. Factual and conceptual types of knowledge can best be understand through this method.

iv.             Analysis and synthesis enable us to break down big concepts into pieces for the purpose of better understanding. Synthesis is that process of deep thinking where smaller concepts are put together to make bigger meaningful wholes.

5.               Philosophy investigates the whole realm of knowledge

It is a very vast subject. Instead of specialization it promotes the in-toto approach. It makes the knowledge of the total world through our senses, appears to be desptive, if it is not supported with deep thinking. A famous French philosopher Descarte says “ I think therefore I am” we can have knowledge of material things and concepts in an ideal way through deep thinking, reasoning and reflections along with the sensory knowledge. Permanence and breadth of knowledge is obtained through continuous and rigorous thinking.

6.               It gives a comprehensive world view of knowledge:

Philosophy as a subject over view all the aspects of life. The knowledge of philosophy gives us a whole sum picture of all the situation and features of life. The logic behind this function is that in order to study and understand the individual components we must look at the total scenario in order to understand the inter relationship of different aspects to each other. Philosophers have a strong belief that nothing exist in isolation. In order to appreciate its actual role we must understand the influences of different factors on each other.

7.         It discusses in detail the vital problems and issues of life

The key function of philosophy is to help people to lead a successful life, with this objective it tries its best to throw full light  on those problems and issues of life which are confronted by human beings throughout their life. The values, concepts, believes and the practical implication of them are the main subject of philosophy. The origin of universe, the beginning of life, the continuity of human races, the mechanisms of living are elaborated by this subject. The creator of the whole world and all his creations are thoroughly understand and elaborated as regards their functions and importance. This knowledge adds to the intellectual confidence and comprehension ability of people studying this subject.

8.     It presents effective theories for successful living

Philosophy concludes the intellectual efforts by presenting these in the form of concentrated theories, which can be applied at any time by any one. These theories are the essence of the whole subject of philosophy. The objective is to provide guidelines, understanding and ability to benefit and spend a successful life. These theories are the result of long experience, rigorous thinking and vast study of the relevant literature. The outstanding theories that are appreciated all over the world are idealism, realism, pragmatism, existentialism, humanism etc.

9.     It preaches humbleness

Philosophy provides the knowledge about the whole world by giving a true picture of the proportions. This enables us to understand his position in relation to the whole universe. The more we gain knowledge the more we grow thirsty for knowledge. Our ability to learn more and more makes us realize that our knowledge is not enough and absolute. We can practice humbleness in our every day life if we constantly remember our position in the trio of existence. Humbleness enables us to benefit form the experiences and theories of other people. This takes us on the road of improvement form good to better and better to best.

10.  It makes people open minded

Philosophy by virtue of its nature adds to the practical knowledge of its practionares. It develops an ability to judge everything in a non prejudiced manner. The open mindedness means broad mindedness and focusing on broad goals and long range objectives. Open minded people do not get disturb by petty issues. We should always try to look at ourselves in relation to the whole universe or the entire existing situation. We should develop a positive outlook and get red of all biases and prejudices. Open mindedness gives us strength to tolerate the negatives of life and helps us to enjoy the positive of life in a balanced way. Philosophy teaches us that we should not reject and criticize the cultures, traditions and language of others nations rather we should give them due respect and try to adopt their positive features. Open mindedness leads to progress and prosperity, 

11.  It develops positive and objective outlook towards life

Philosophy has one of its important function, develops objectivity and positives in our behaviour. If we remain objective we do not unnecessarily exaggerated situations. And we are not dominated by our personal likes and dislikes and preferences. Objective approach prevents us from getting emotional and confused. Whereas positive approach makes us optimist. Positive thinkers always take the bright sight of all aspects of life which keeps us encouraged and motivated. Positive thinkers always had the strength to face the hardships with the best utilization of their ability.

12.  It make people inquisitive, rational and wise

Wisdom is the ultimate quality to be developed by through philosophy. This quality expects a rational behaviour and an inquisitive attitude towards life. Inquisitiveness enables us to find out more and more about everything by asking questions about its nature, history, functions and importance. Satisfactory answers to these questions adds to our knowledge and makes us wise and educated. Wisdom is that state of mind, which accepts nothing without satisfactory set of reasons. Wisdom is always in search of truth and solid reasons. Philosophy gives us those skills and habits, which enables us to have a continuous addition to our wisdom and sources of information

Theories of philosophy presented by different philosophers