MEANING OF PHILOSOPHY & EDUCATION

  MEANING OF PHILOSOPHY & EDUCATION

Meaning of  Philosophy The word philosophy literally means love of wisdom

 It is derived from two Greek words i.e. 'phileo' (love) and 'Sophia' (wisdom).

 This tells us something about the nature of philosophy, but not much, because many disciplines seek wisdom.

Since times immemorial there have been various pursuits for unfolding the mystery of the universe, birth and death, sorrow and joy.

Various ages have produced different thoughts throwing light upon the mystic region.

 The ultimate truth is yet to be found out. This eternal quest for truth 'lends the origin of philosophy.

A love of wisdom is the essence for any philosophy investigation.

humanity's first systematic inquiries took place within a mythological or religious framework

wisdom ultimately was to be derived from sacred traditions and from individuals thought to possess privileged access to a supernatural real

The subject of philosophical inquiry is the reality itself.

There are different schools of philosophy depending on the answers they seek to the question of reality.

It is the search for understanding of man, nature and the universe.

There are different branches of philosophy-Epistemology, Metaphysics, etc.

There are different fields of philosophy such as educational philosophy, social philosophy, political philosophy, economic philosophy etc.

 There are also different philosophical approaches such as idealism, naturalism, pragmatism, materialism, and so on.  

Meaning of Education 

Etymologically, the word education is derived from educare (Latin) "bring up", which is related to educere "bring out", "bring forth what is within", "bring out potential" and ducere, "to lead".

In English the term “Education” has been derived from two Latin words Educare (Educere) and Educatum. “Educare” means to train or mould.

It  means to bring up or to lead out or to draw out, propulsion from inward to outward.

The term “Educatum” denotes the act of teaching. It throws light on the principles and practice of teaching.

The term Educare or Educere mainly indicates development of the latent faculties of the child.

Education  seeks  to    develop   the   innate  or the inner     potentialities    of humans.

Education in the largest sense is any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character or physical ability of an individual.

 In its technical sense, education is the process by which society deliberately transmits its accumulated knowledge, skills and values from one generation to another. 

Education is the process of development of the child or the individual.

 It is a lifelong process.

Education tries to develop the innate potentialities of the individual in a  harmonious manner.

Education is harmonious development of all the powers of the human being i.e. physical, social, intellectual, aesthetic and spiritual.

 education is intimately connected with the life and experience of an individual.

Definitions

1.      Swami Vivekananda 

“Education is the manifestation of perfection already in man. Like fire in a piece of flint, knowledge exists in the mind. Suggestion is the friction; which brings it out”.

2.      Mahatma Gandhi

“By education I mean an all-round drawing out of the best in child and man’s body, mind and spirit”.

3.      Rabindranath Tagore

“The highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes our life in harmony with all existence”.

4.      Rigveda

“Education is something, which makes a man self-reliant and self-less”. 

5.      Upanishads

“ Education is that whose end product is salvation”.

6.      Radhakrishnan

” Education according to Indian tradition is not merely a means of earning a living; nor it is only a nursery of thought or a school for citizenship. It is initiation into the life of spirit and training of human souls in the pursuit of truth and the practice of virtue”.

7.      Plato

“Education develops in the body and soul of the pupil all the beauty and all the perfection he is capable of”.

8.      Aristotle

“ Education is the creation of sound mind in a sound body. It develops man’s faculty specially his mind so that he may be able to enjoy the contemplation of supreme truth, goodness and beauty”.

9.      Rousseau

“Education is the child’s development from within”.

10.  Froebel

“Education is enfoldment of what is already enfolded in the germ. It is the process through which the child ma kes the internal-external”. 

11.  Pestalozzi

“Education is the harmonious and progressive development of all the innate powers and faculties of man- physical, intellectual and moral”. 

12.  J.F.Herbert

“Education is the development of good moral character”.

13.  John Dewey

“Education is not a preparation for life, rather it is the living. Education is the process of living through a continuous reconstruction of experiences. It is the development of all those capacities in the individual which will enable him to control his environment and fulfil his possibilities”.

14.  .T.P.Nunn

“ Education is the complete development of the individuality of the child so that he can make an original contribution to human life according to the best of his capacity”.

True Definition of Education

 The different meanings and definitions of education as given above lead us to the conclusion that education should have a comprehensive definition. Thus, education may be defined as a purposive, conscious or unconscious, psychological, sociological, scientific and philosophical process, which brings about the development of the individual to the fullest extent and also the maximum development of society in such a way that both enjoy maximum happiness and prosperity. In Short, education is the development of individual according to his needs and demands of society, of which he is an integral part. The above remarks of different educators highlight the following special features of education:

 • Education is both unilateral as well as bi-polar in nature.

  • It is a continuous process.

 • It is knowledge or experience.

 • It is development of particular aspects of human personality or a harmonious integrated growth.

 • It is conducive for the good of the individual or the welfare of the society.

 • It is a liberal discipline or a vocational course.

 • It is stabilizer of social order, conservator of culture, an instrument of change and social reconstruction.  

Narrower and Broader Meaning of Education

Education in the Narrower Sense

In its narrow sense, school instruction is called education. In this process, the elders of society strive to attain predetermined aims during a specified time by providing pre-structured knowledge to children through set methods of teaching. The purpose is to achieve mental development of children entering school. To make of narrow meaning of education more clear, the following opinions of some other educationists are being given- • The culture which each generation purposefully gives to those who are to be its successors, in order to qualify them for at least keeping up, and if possible for raising the level of improvement which has been attained.

            John Stuart Mill • In narrow sense, education may be taken to mean any consciously directed effort to   develop and cultivate our powers.

S. S. Mackenzie • Education is a process in which and by which knowledge, character and behaviour of the young are shaped and moulded.

Prof. Drever • The influence of the environment of the individual with a view to producing a permanent change in his habits of behaviour, or thought and attitude. 

G. H. Thompson

  Education, in the narrower sense, is regarded as equivalent to instruction.

It consists of the “specific influences” consciously designed in a school or in a college or in an institution to bring in the development and growth of the child.

 The word school includes the whole machinery of education from Kindergarten to the University.

The education of the child begins with his admission in the school and ends with his departure from the University.

 The amount of education received by the child is measured in terms of degrees and diplomas awarded to him.

The school represents formal education as it imparts education directly and systematically. There is deliberate effort on the part of the educator to inculcate certain habits, skills, attitudes or influences in the learner, which are considered to be essential and useful to him.

 According to John Dewey: “The school exists to provide a special environment for the formative period of human life. School is a consciously designed institution, the sole concern of which is to educate the child.

 This special environment is essential to explain our complex society and civilization”. 

 The influences or modes of influences in the school are deliberately planned, chosen and employed by the community for the welfare of the members of the rising generation. The purpose of these influences is to modify the behaviour of the child in such a way that he may become different from what he would have been without education. It makes possible a better adjustment of human nature to surroundings. According to Mackenzie, education, in the narrower sense, is conscious effort to develop and cultivate our innate powers. 

  

 Education, in the narrow sense, is also regarded as acquisition of knowledge. According to it education is a process by which knowledge or information on a subject is acquired. But many sensible educationists have criticized this view. They argue that emphasis on the knowledge is likely to reduce all schools to mere knowledge-shops. The acquisition of knowledge is not the only or supreme aim of education, yet it is one of the important aims of education.

Education in the Broader Sense 

 In its wider sense, education is the total development of the personality.

Education consists of all those experiences, which affect the individual from birth till death.

Thus, education is that process by which an individual freely develops his self according to his nature in a free and uncontrolled environment. In this way, education is a life long process of growth environment.

 • In the wider sense, it is a process that goes on throughout life, and is promoted by almost every experience in life. S. S. Mackenzie

• By education, I mean the all-round drawing out of the best in child and man’s body, mind and soul. M. K. Gandhi

• Education in its widest sense includes all the influences, which at upon an individual during his passage from cradle to the grave. 

• Education, in its broadest sense, is the means of the social continuity.

 John Dewey 

 Education in the wider sense is a life-long process. It begins with the birth of a child and ends with his death. It is a continuous process. Continuity is the law of life. Education is not limited to the classroom only; it is also not limited to a particular period of life.. 

 An individual learns through his experiences, which are acquired throughout his life. Education is not merely collection of some information.

 It is acquisition of experiences through life in the social and natural environment.

 It includes all the knowledge and experiences, acquired during infancy, childhood, boyhood, adolescence, youth, manhood or old age through any agency of education- the press, the travels, the club, the nature- formally and informally.

 Thus, education becomes the sum-total of all experiences that the child receives either in the school or outside. In this wider sense, life is education and education is life.

Education, in the broader sense, is transmission of life by the living, to the living, through living and for living”.

 Education is a means for the development of balanced all- round harmonious development of personality. Personality includes not only body and mind but also spirit.

Philosophy and Aims of Education 

  Every scheme of education has some aims to be attained. Aims differ from time to time and place to place. But aims have a common element. Aims of education are determined by aim of life or philosophy of life. Philosophy formulates the ends of life, and education offers suggestions how these ends are to be achieved. Aims of education change with the changing philosophy of life. The aim of Spartan system of education was to prepare patriotic citizens and soldiers. The Athenian system of education aimed at the cultural development of each individual. The British Public Schools aimed at citizenship. The Nazi system of education was determined by Nazi philosophy of life. Thus, aims of education are relative to the aims and philosophy of life.

Philosophy and Curriculum

 Philosophy determines the aims of education and curriculum determines how these aims can be attained. The curriculum is the means to attain aims of education. Curriculum  is to be determined by the educational objectives which are again determined by philosophy. Hence, the curriculum to be followed in schools has to conform to the prevailing philosophy. Thus, the problem of curriculum construction is tackled and solved by philosophical beliefs.

Philosophy and Text Books 

 The text books constitute the part of curriculum. The adoption of appropriate textbooks is, therefore, closely connected with philosophy. Briggs has rightly pointed out that the selection of text books depends on the ideals and values of a particular time and society. Philosophy is reflected in the content material of text-books.

Philosophy and Methods of Teaching

  Method means the art of teaching or the knowledge to which the teacher follows in the communication of knowledge to the students. The effectiveness of this teaching

learning process depends to great extent on the nature or art of communication. This art of communication or the classroom techniques are satisfactorily tackled by philosophy.

     Naturalist philosophy has emphasized the child-centered methods of education. It requires the methodology to recognize the inborn capacities of children. Educators like Rousseau, Fichte and Montessori stand for non-intervention by the teacher. The idealist philosophy, on the other hand, pleads for intervention in the education of the child by the teacher. Idealism argues that as the child has to realize certain ultimate values , the method of teaching must be teacher-centered. Pragmatism lays stress on problematic and creative activities and it advocates project method for effective learning.

Philosophy and Discipline 

  The nature or type of discipline is always determined by the philosophy. Naturalism emphasizes self-assertion of the individual, as against blind obedience to authority. The idealists, on the other hand, wish the individual to rise above self. Idealism relies much on the personality of the teacher for the maintenance of discipline. Pragmatists advocate complete freedom from external pressure. Thus, we see that the problem of discipline is closely related with philosophy, and the conception of discipline as held by a teacher or educator will always be influenced by his philosophical beliefs.

Philosophy and Teacher

 The teacher is the soul of the educative process. A teacher not only has a thorough knowledge of his subject, but also he must know man, the society at large. He must have a clear vision about everything he comes into contact. Plato has defined philosopher as “One who has a taste for every sort of knowledge, one who is curious to learn and is never satisfied.” A teacher needs to study philosophy as a person and as a teacher. It helps him to keep manifold relations with his pupil.

  A teacher must have a definite outlook on life, optimistic or pessimistic, positive or negative, materialistic or idealistic. Any one of these beliefs will affect the various problems of education – the aims, the discipline, the curricula, the methods, the technique of teaching and the organization. So a teacher must have an adequate and sound philosophy. He must have a thorough grounding in philosophy.

Philosophy and Educational Administration

  Educational administration is also not untouched by philosophical doctrine. Mental tests and personality tests, which occupy a very prominent place in the field of educational administration, also require a definite philosophy.

Philosophy and Evaluation

 Evaluation is the continuous process of measuring the educational achievements in the light of educational aims already determined. Educational aims are determined by philosophy of life. Hence the first step of evaluation is the clear knowledge of educational aims. 

  

 Thus, we find that philosophy affects both the theoretical and practical aspects of education.

One cannot be separated from the other. For individual and social development first of all we must have clear and definite educational objectives. Philosophy helps to solve the problem.  We are in urgent need of a comprehensive philosophy of education, without it a teacher cannot work creatively and efficiently.