Definition of terms
Significance means the quality of being worthy of
attention; importance.
Nature means the phenomena of the physical world
collectively, including plants, animals, the landscape, and
other features and products of the earth, as opposed to
humans or human creations.
-- the basic or inherent features of something, especially when
seen as characteristic of it.
Role means the function assumed or part played by a
person or thing in a particular situation.
Definition of terms
Education means the process of receiving or giving
systematic instruction, especially at a school or university.
An enlightening experience.
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental
questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge,
values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed
as problems to be studied or resolved.
Definition of terms
Philosophy is defined as the science of all things studied
from the viewpoint of their ultimate causes, reasons, or
principles by the light of human reason alone.
Philosophy is also seen as a reflective technique applied
to lived experience.
It is a science which verifies all things in one weltanschauung
(world-view).
Philosophy means the study of the fundamental nature
of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when
considered as an academic discipline.
The Significance of
Philosophy of Education
Modern man is a secular man. Secularism is the rule of the
day. Man’s reputation as a sacred being created after God’s
image and likeness has been challenge and reduced because
of the advent of the scientific revolution. Man is supposed to
be a special steward of creation, but he has fallen short of his
stewardship
There is, therefore, a need for rethinking by man and of re-
orienting man’s perspectives. To do this, we need
philosophy.
Understanding the philosophy of education will teach them
the need to know the whys. Along with the intellectual
development of the students, it will also improve the
standards of our society and make us more rational.
The Nature of
Philosophy of Education
The scope of philosophy of education is concerned with the
problems of education. Interpretation of human nature, the
world and the universe and their relation with man,
interpretation of aims and ideals of education.
Philosophy of education is one of the areas of applied
philosophy. There are three branches of philosophy
namely ‘metaphysics, epistemology and axiology.
The Nature of
Philosophy of Education
The Nature of
Philosophy of Education
The Role of Philosophy
of Education
A philosophy of education provides the guiding principles
received from general philosophy.
The science of education gathers from the data of
experimental psychology all the details which go together
to form the mosaic of concrete reality.
Together ( Philosophy of Education and Science of
Education), they form a complete picture of the end and
means of education.
The Role of Philosophy
of Education
Philosophy in light of its first principles; can act as the
guiding light to the sciences.
It unifies knowledge by ordering things in relation to one
another and relation to the whole.
Although its work may appear to be somewhat unscientific
because of its intangible and therefore unverifiable nature, it
is , nonetheless, all- important.
The Role of Philosophy
of Education
Philosophy is necessary in order to humanize the sciences ,
to regulate the sciences in view of mans growth and
development.
Thus, philosophy has a normative role to play in regard to
the other sciences.
Invariably, the philosopher makes his moral judgement in
reference to man and his concrete situation.
Philosophy in Relation to
Education
John S. Brubacher – modern philosophies of
education.
Puts in clear terms the extent to which general
philosophy influences philosophy of
education.
“What shall we take to the proper relation to
general philosophy to philosophy of
education? On this point there are several
options. Most obvious is that which holds a
philosophy of life basic and primary to a
philosophy of education. The former
establishes fundamental principles; the latter
carries out their implications in a special field”.
Philosophy in Relation to
Education
It is clear that there exist a close interaction between
philosophy and education.
Such an interaction can even be called inter-relation since
education incorporates the traditions, cultural treasures and
philosophy into its system.
On the other hand, the relationship of education to
philosophy is one of dependence simply because a
philosophy of life goes into the very meaning of the reality
while the educational system depends essentially upon that
concept of reality.
Validity
There are many people today who deny that philosophy is a
valid branch of human knowledge.
One reason to be considered in analysing philosophy’s
seeming demise in the eyes of the world is the great confusion
that exist among philosophers.
And this offers the perfect excuse that many were looking for
to dismiss philosophy as a pseudo-science, a mere juggling of
ideas, a non- significant mental exercise.
Validity
This facet of philosophy’s problem brings us right to the heart
of the matter.
We might say that philosophy is destined to the plagued by
differences of opinion because it is the very nature of the
discipline.
Philosophy deals with questions which are metaphysical, that
is, beyond the physical.
Philosophical questions concern the nature of things,
purpose, meaning, values, causes and so on. The answers to
such philosophical questions are not to be found in the realm
of the tangible or empirical.
Validity
Precisely because philosophical questions cannot be answered
with empirical facts and tangible evidence, there will always
be room for further question, differences of opinion and even
doubt.
Therefore it is inevitable that in philosophy there be many
divergent theories even to the point of contradicting one
another. There are as many philosophies as there are
philosophers.
The author , however, maintains that philosophy has a
legitimate and important role to play in telling us the why,
the what, and the how of man. It is a science of its own.
Man as Defined by
Philosophy
Philosophy and theology assert that man is the end of God’s
creation; all other things were created on account of man.
But sciences merely said, contra factum non valet
argumentum (against fact there is no argument).
That was not so bad since it was merely concerned with the
movement of heavenly bodies. It was not an attack upon man
as such. Man was always believed to be a special reserve of
philosophy.
But then, Darwin, a biologist, entered the scene and asserted
that man had evolved from lower forms of life.
Man as Defined by
Philosophy
And philosophy retreated one step further in order to rectify
its position.
The next attack of the sciences upon the realm of philosophy
struck much more at the heart f the matter.
The behaviour of man of man was submitted to rigid
scrutiny, and was found susceptible to mechanistic
explanation.
Behaviourism, depth psychology and psychoanalysis all
claimed to explain man’s behaviour so clearly and
understandably that the history of man’s actions ceased to
exist.
Man as Defined by
Philosophy
Man has lost the mysterious sacredness that he possessed
since time immemorial.
He has lost his personal dignity and has become, instead, an
object to be treated clinically like another living organism.
The myth of man has been exploded
Man ceases to be a man because he has been explained away
by science.
Man can be predicted.
Guidance of Philosophy
Philosophy judges reality from the viewpoint of the total
context. And this is of essential importance.
Just as man is more than the sum total of his parts, and
society is more than the number of its members, so also
philosophy adds knowledge of an essentially new kind when
it places order among the various branches of knowledge and
relates them to one another, establishing at the same time a
hierarchy of values.
We must go beyond the practical and regulative function of
philosophy and show what philosophy can tell us directly
about man.
Guidance of Philosophy
Philosophy continuously explores the mystery of man on
even deeper levels.
With every new discovery, new aspects of this mystery are
unveiled, and man philosophizes in an attempt to unveil
the mystery of the universe.
He alone holds the key to the meaning of existence.
A Philosopher’s Quote
“Philosophy is the
science of truth”.
-Aristotle
End
