EDF 222

EDF 222: PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

Philosophy:
The word Philosophy stems from the Greek words philos=love and sophia=wisdom. Philosophy is
about critical thinking. It is love for wisdom. Wisdom entails adequate appreciation of all what we
know in life and society and later identifying what should matter and value for us. This wisdom arises
from the pursuit of the knowledge of the most important parts of reality. Philosophy is about
conceptual analysis i.e. thinking about thinking. Philosophy seeks to achieve understanding of all
reality in existence. It is not just a theory or a collection of theories, rather it is an activity: a quest for
thinking. This is only achieved through contemplation and studying of the many important questions
about existence and reality.

Since Philosophy is critical and comprehensive in approach it is analytic and synthetic. As such
philosophy is best placed to:
- Unmask assumptions
- Examine worldviews
- Question conceptual frameworks
- Test positions

The necessity and value of critical thinking to the modern times resides in the reality that all
individual, collective or national actions are directed by thought. Human action is mostly if not
always a product of thought. Thus conceptualizations of education, justice, morality, innovativeness
etc. of either the individual, community, nation or continent are results of a type of thinking. It is in
this vein that to achieve any form of individual or social transformation, it is imperative that we
interrogate the underlying types of thinking employed by the agents involved. This is why Philo can
be said to be a discipline that thinking about thinking, that is thinking about the kind of thought that
shapes personal, community, political, educational, legal and moral systems and institutions.

Origins of Philosophy
Philosophy began in the Greek islands during the 6 th century B.C. The ancient thinkers were
motivated by unresolved puzzles taken for granted in everyday life.
Philosophical reflection (which is the mother of all learning disciplines today) was triggered by a
sense of wonder. Ancient thinkers wondered at the puzzle of change: What is change? What
changes? Is there anything that remains permanent in the process of change? Philosophy developed
out of a curiosity to question prevalent myths for a clearer perspective.

Objects of philosophical wonder have obviously changed over time. What counts as a philosophical
problem might have changed over time to the present. However, what has been sustained ever
since is the approach to life’s realities, an approach that seeks a fresh and new point of view that
starkly contrasts with the taken-for-granted perspectives. Philosophy is about a quest for real
understanding where one moves beyond what appears to-be, and uncovers what is real: moving
beyond appearance to reality.

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In the modern era, near-myths surround us in art standards, cultural conceptions, politics,
economics, legal systems, as well as in the wider field of education. For example, society takes for
granted (yet is not unanimous on the following unanswered questions (e.g. this is manifest through
the common answers to the questions: what is the role of education? What knowledge must we
acquire?). Today therefore, the most crucial aspects of human existence for example science,
education, the environment, are objects of philosophical wonder that warrant scrutiny because they
exist in a context of ignored and unanswered but yet foundational questions which only philosophy
would address.

Features of Philosophy
Philosophy is revolutionary in that it usually upsets common sense traditions and practices as it
seeks to establish a lasting and unvarying understanding of reality.

The discipline of philosophy is cognizant of the fact that the un-philosophical life is an imprisonment
in the prejudices of common sense that usually lack valid legitimacy. Such prejudices are usually
camouflaged in conventional practices and traditions. It is only philosophy’s critical thinking (through
Reason) that liberates man from such a prison. The nature of philosophy is that:

a. It is critical and asks questions. It criticizes assumptions, theories as well as our deeply most
held beliefs and attitudes. Philosophical questions are foundational and usually abstract in
nature. Philosophy would among others inquire about the goal of education for a particular
society, what curriculum should we have? What type of knowledge and its value should we
pursue to acquire? What appropriate attitudes should the learner and teacher adopt for
effective learning? What methodologies are appropriate and why?
Philosophy is reflective. It attempts to clearly and thoroughly understand and evaluate
systems, attitudes, and beliefs. The philosopher works with ideas about the reality around
him, he examines ideas through reasoning. Socrates said: ”The unexamined life is not worth
the living” and also ”Man know thyself”. What may be obvious and unproblematic to the
common person is not so to the critical mind of the philosopher.

b. It is analytic: Philosophers seek to clarify concepts and test beliefs and perceptions. Later,
the philosopher’s goal is to construct or re-construct new ideas about concepts, beliefs, and
attitudes.

c. Philosophy is driven by a sense of wonder. The philosopher is always curious to understand

what the real nature of things is, beyond the usual and familiar appearances. Philosophy
abhors cheap contentment in explaining reality as it is very clear that without wondering at
what we have accepted to be real for generations, the human race runs the risk of having a
wrong and inaccurate grasp of things it mistakenly thinks it understands. Education is the
object of wonder for Philosophy of Education. As such philosophy is never contented with
the prevailing goals of education as something that is fixed and cannot evolve.

d. Philosophy is speculative.
Philosophy seeks to find new alternatives and approaches to education, as well as to the
teaching and learning processes. For philosophy, no problem is permanently resolved.

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Philosophy requires a periodic re-examination of beliefs, knowledge, facts and claims in our
societies. Philosophy always explores for possible alternatives to reality. Philosophy is
committed to enriching and improving our perspectives about reality.
In education it probes what education is? What is learning? What is schooling? What should
be the role of the school, mindful of the fact that even more profound and greater learning
takes place outside the school, e.g. in the home, through the media, through peers, as well
as individual reflections on certain experiences.

e. It is open-ended. As a systematic study of ideas and issues it examines concepts, views, and
theories from any other discipline such as art, science, religion, education, politics.
Philosophy questions even philosophical answers to problems of existence.
To the un-philosophical mind so much is dumped into his mind in the name of social
conventions and normalcy without the reflective endorsement of his will. To those
unfriendly to philosophical inquiry, the world is definite, finite, obvious, and the common
objects and events rouse no questions, while unfamiliar possibilities are rejected with
contempt (Russell, B. 1982:12pp). It is not so with the philosopher. S/he seeks to have an
authentic understanding of his/her world.

The Scope of Philosophy of Education

The object of wonder in philosophy of education is education itself and whatever is associated with
it. Philosophy of education has an analytic function which enables it to scrutinize concepts,
education theories, and education-related policies.

Philosophy of education is a discourse about aims of education, content of the curriculum,

methodologies in teaching and learning, and other aspects of education as they affect learners,
teachers, schools, the community, and the nation.
The purposes of philosophy of education would be said to be:
i- Inspirational:
It has the capacity to exhibit an ideal model of what desirable education ought to be as well as
its respective teaching and learning methodologies. For example Plato in his Republic gives his
ideal model of education, and how it must be acquired. It should be noted though that the task
of realizing such an ideal education is not the role of the education philosopher only. It requires
other disciplines’ coordination.

ii- Analytic and synthetic:

An analytic approach to the education discourse demands that theories of and about education
should be scrutinized. Exempting theories even the long-held ones from philosophical analysis
risks our embracing them as valid and accurate truth claims yet in essence they are erroneous
theories all along guised as truth. Philosophy of education is synthetic in the sense that it gathers
together different ideas into a single, more justifiable, unified vision.

iii. Prescriptive:
Philosophy must help discover man’s nature (his essence), his capacities and responsibilities.
Education must ensure it facilitates self-actualisation in human beings.

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Established goals of education, education policies, teaching and learning methods, the attitudes
of the teacher, learner, society and nation, if not subjected to philosophical scrutiny may inhibit
other than facilitate self-realization. It is the duty of the education philosopher therefore to
disentangle education from such traps. This is achieved by prescribing alternative approaches to
the education. Even when there apparently exists no problem with the status quo, philosophy
will still probe if better and alternatives are possible.

METAPHYSICS

Metaphysics is a major branch of Philosophy. It comes from two Greek words Meta which means
beyond and phusika which means physics or the physical.

Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy that focuses on the nature of reality or the essence of reality.
It looks at the definitive nature of a being. Essence refers to the unchanging substance of a
particular being.

The problem of reality is not as simplistic as the common man would regard it to be. Ancient
philosophers approached the reality puzzle from different angles such as physics, Geometry, and
Astrology.

Common questions in metaphysics revolve around the questions: what is the nature of Being? What
are the core properties of Being? What is unchangeable about Being? In the discipline of education
such metaphysical problems as the following would emerge: What is the ultimate nature of human
beings: who is man? What is it that makes man, man? What is the essence of a learner? What is
education?

Metaphysics has the following subsets:

a. Cosmology: focuses on attempting to understand the origin, nature and development of the
universe. How did the universe originate: created or evolved? Does existence of the universe
have a purpose? Which purpose? Answers to these questions have a direct impact on the
nature of education a particular nation adopts or a person pursues for himself or makes
his/her children pursue e.g. secular? What should shape the values the education system
will promote?

b. Theology: a branch of metaphysics concerned with the existence and or nature of God. A
society’s theological perspective informs much of their education system, what to learn or
not and how to learn it.

c. Anthropology: a subset which deals with the study of human beings. What is to be human?
What are the constituents of human nature (e.g. mind and body) and what are their
properties? What are the implications of these constituents on the context of human
existence e.g. education, politics, culture? What is the moral status of human beings,
inherently good or bad?

d. Ontology: a subset of philosophy which studies the nature of existence. What does it mean
to be? What is being? What is the primary substance of a being that is said to exist? Is it

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matter, spirit, or both? Is reality orderly and lawful in itself? Is it permanent or constantly
under the influence of change? How does reality relate with humanity?

Metaphysics is so relevant to the field of education as a whole:

- It is crucial in the setting up of national education goals. Metaphysics comes in to initially

clarify on the nature/essence of human beings and the people whom the education is meant
to serve, the nature of the important needs education must address. It is only after the
people have been adequately understood, their core needs established, that designing of
education goals becomes meaningful.

- Metaphysics also guides in curriculum designing and curriculum review. After laying the
groundwork for developing education goals and hence an understanding of the real nature
of the goals education ought to serve in a particular society, metaphysics assists in
determining the nature of knowledge that corresponds with the established conception of
human nature.

- Metaphysics also assists in the cultivation of appropriate attitudes on both the teacher and
the learner in the teaching and learning processes. The teacher-learner relationship must be
guided by the right attitudes without which the whole learning enterprise becomes futile. A
teacher who regards his students as irreversibly incapable and hopeless will not succeed in
ensuring that the learners acquire the appropriate knowledge skills.

Furthermore, learners come to class with different conceptions of their own nature and the
nature of education. These outlooks are shaped by their social-economic background,
gender, race, religion and other such-related factors. As long as the learners have such
distorted metaphysical outlooks about themselves, about education, the teaching and
learning exercise will be futile. It is necessary that upon understanding the learners’
metaphysical outlooks, (i.e. their conception of themselves in terms of potential and ability,
as well as their conception of the nature of education) the teacher should embark on
motivating the learners to shed off this erroneous metaphysical outlook that impedes
successful teaching and learning.

- Metaphysics also guides the teacher in the choice of relevant teaching and learning
methods. Unless the teacher has a metaphysical understanding of the unique nature of
his/her content, of the students social development, choice of learning methods becomes
arbitrary and without meaning.

Plato (c.427 B.C.E. – c347 B.C.E.):

Plato’s Metaphysics: Theory of Forms

- He was a Greek Philosopher

- Plato’s theory of metaphysics is part of the attempts among classical philosophers to address
the problem of change or account for the unchanging substance of being
- He holds there are two distinct worlds: the world of sense experience and the world of ideas
or forms.

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- The sensual world is imperfect and contains particular/definite/determinate objects that are
also imperfect
- The world of ideas is perfect and contains absolute permanent realities
- Particulars or definite objects merely participate in, mimic the forms but are not themselves
(the particulars} real things
- For Plato true reality resides in the world of forms
- Forms are absolute ideas
- They are the prototype of reality.

Knowing the Forms

- We must firstly understand the nature/metaphysical makeup of a human being
- What makes the human being, the soul, has three divisions: Appetites, the Spirit or Will and
Reason.
- Appetites constitute desires, feelings and emotions.
- The will or spirit is the faculty that drives us to challenge adversity, that loves victory,
challenge and winning.
- Reason/mind is the faculty that thinks, judges, analyses, and gauges what is the truest of all
things. It is the faculty that can access the world of forms and knows true reality.
- It requires rigorous physical and intellectual discipline for reason to rule over the other
lower faculties
The Nature of Society

- Society too is structured along the parallel of the faculties of human nature
- It has the masses as producers, guardians and philosopher-kings.
- The masses are largely driven by appetites
- Only philosopher kings are governed by reason and are able to distinguish shadows from
reality, the good from popular appetitive faulty perceptions of reality.
- For Plato, Philosopher kings ought to rule the society though society cannot understand
their direction as the masses can hardly know the forms
Implications of theory of Forms

- Only certain privileged people have the capacity to know, learn, or be educated
- Ability to excel in learning is almost predetermined at birth
- Learning or education must not be focused only on satisfaction of appetitive needs

Aristotle (384 B.C. – 322 B.C.)

Aristotle’s Metaphysics (Act and Potency):

Extracted from Fred L. Milne (1973) The Doctrine of Act and Potency: A Metaphysical Ground for
Interpretation of Spenser's Garden of Adonis Passages, Studies in Philology, Vol. 70, No. 3 pp.
279-287

- The act-potency doctrine involves a duality of principles to explain the nature of finite beings
or substances.

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- Contrary to Plato, for Aristotle every determinate/finite/particular object we can perceive,

or sense exists and is real
- Related to the doctrine of Act and potency is that of form and matter
- Form is the principle that individuates a particular being
- Matter is the substance that gives form concrete
- Matter cannot exist independent of form
- The two though distinct are however inseparable.
- Change occurs when matter assumes a new form
- For Aristotle, the following must be operative in every finite being (that is always a
composite of a particular form and matter)
(1) a universal, actualizing, determining, perfective principle (act) and
(2) an individualizing, potential, determinable, limiting principle capable of receiving
perfection or actualization (potency).
- Every finite being or substance, whether material or material, is, according to Aristotle, a
composite of act and potency.

- In a given material substance, the actualizing principle is the substantial form, "that precisely in
virtue of which a thing is called 'a this," or "that by which a 'particular thing' actually exists."

- The form determines the material substance to be the particular thing that something is, that is,
the form determines the specific class or species to which the thing belongs.

Implications of Aristotle’s metaphysics:

- Since every being or object has potential to become something different from what currently
exists, then intelligence, leadership, and the capacity to learn, unlike with Plato, are neither
predetermined nor exclusive to certain people.

- In the education discipline, creation of a particular emotional, physical, moral environment has
capacity to either transform potency into act, maintain the current state of act, or thwart any
possible becoming.

- Helps teacher develop appropriate attitudes towards learners that transcend the current state of
being of the learners

- Helps in curriculum design and selection of curriculum content as focus is on fostering

self=actualization other than maintaining the stays quo of society