Philosophy and General

Education
Module 4
 Concept of education
• Many things make the concept of education unique.
• Hence, there is no consensus on the etymological root of the concept.
• Some scholars of education contend that education is derived from
“educere” which means” to lead out or to uphold”,
• however, such disagreements over the etymological root of education
disappear when attention is focused on reforms or possibilities which
societies can attain through education or improvements in human
affairs which education can bring about:
 According to Ekanem (2009).
• Just as in general philosophy, speculative philosophy of education seeks
to establish theories of the nature of man, society, and the world by which
to order and interpret the conflicting data of educational research and the
behavioral sciences.
• It is prescriptive philosophy of education that specifies the ends and
means education ought to follow.
• And it is analytic when it seeks to clarify the speculative and prescriptive
statements
• Thus, philosophy contributes to shaping education by examining the
consistency and rationality of ideas it employs.
• It also examines such concepts as “education “discipline” “curriculum”
and “punishment”, to mention but a few.
• More so, some of the philosophical theories that have influenced and
continue to influence education are as follows; idealism, Realism,
Pragmatism, Existentialism, etc.
 Function of the Philosophical School of
thought in education
1.Provide the right and proper atmosphere for the development and growth of individual
2. Increase in the intellectual knowledge of the student.
3. Development of the zeal for truth, love of knowledge for the tender mind
4. Cultivate the habit of aesthetic skills in order to stimulate the appreciation of beauty
5. Literacy and numeral skills initiate in the individual into his culture that is in
unwritten form.
6. The scientific skills which will reveal to him the laws of nature and develop his
ability to enter into nature
7. The humanities as represented in the great classical literature which are
the products of great minds and consequently repository of wisdom
8. The inevitability of change, the relativeness of value and that knowledge
is always a means to an end, merely instrumental and never an end in itself
9. The curriculum that fosters spriritual and intellectual potentials of the
child.
• From all these teachings and from these schools of thought, education
would be seen as the process of developing a problem solving habit.
• For them, teaching must be child-centered taking cognizance of the child’s
present needs, interests, and abilities. The teacher is more or less an
organizer and moderator in the learning process.
 What Philosophy Is and What Philosophy
Can Do
• Introducing philosophy is not an issue most philosophers would be glad to
do, especially, when such an introduction is for a person without any
previous acquaintance with the discipline.
• This accounts for the various perspectives some have chosen to view
philosophy either as “conclusions” “speculative” “personal view” or
“presentations” to mention but a few
 Defining Philosophy
• It is instructive to note that the word philosophy comes from two Greek
words “phileain” and “Sophia” meaning “to love wisdom respectively.”
• Philosophy, therefore, is the love of wisdom.
• Consistent with this meaning of philosophy a philosopher is or should be a
lover of wisdom.
• Wisdom in this case does not imply the acquisition of facts or information
for the sake of dispelling general ignorance.
 Who is a wise person?
• A man is wise if he is able to give counsel concerning some problems of
human life, and the counsel is seen to spring from a combination of sound
knowledge and wide experience (Etuk, 2013).
• According to him, the ability may come with years of contemplation of the human
situation, and the drawing of lessons from what happens to people, societies, and nations.
• Philosophy, therefore, is an attitude of mind, a method, and an activity.
• As an activity of the mind, it is marked by the ability to be puzzled and to wonder at
even the ordinary and commonplace experience of life.
• As a method, it teaches one how to raise the right types of questions and to look for the
right answers.
• And as an activity of the mind, it affects the behavior outlook, reasoning speech, and
even the interest of its practitioners.
• In the view of Udoidem in Etuk et al (2013; 13), philosophy as the love of
wisdom is “the irresistible desire to search for foundation or universal
principle of all things”.
• Philosophic wisdom, therefore, is the insatiable rational quest for truth
and understanding of reality in totality, as well as the application of such
discoveries to the perennial problems of human existence.
• It begins in doubt, wonder, and curiosity and manifests in the ability to
consistently ponder, rethink, question, reason and reflect on the familiar
and uncommon (unfamiliar) experiences of life disinterestedly and non-
dogmatically.
• For Herman Randall in Etuk et al (2013: 13), philosophy is a human and
cultural enterprise to be inquired into, rather than a mere term to be
defined as:
The criticism of the fundamental beliefs in any man’s great cultural
enterprise, science, art, religion, the moral life, social and practical
activity, when some altered experience has impinged upon them and
generated intellectual tensions and maladjustment.
• The above definition shows that the subject matter of philosophy is
extremely wide as it touches all human and non-human situations. It
follows that philosophy is concerned not just with identifying problems
but with a rigorous and systematic effort to understand these problems and
proffer rational suggestions that can aid in their resolution. Such problem
could be social, religious, moral, scientific or even non-physical.
 Five Possible understanding of what
philosophy is: (Harold Titus)
1. Philosophy is a personal attitude towards life and the Universe
2. Philosophy is a method of reflective thinking and reasoned enquiry
3. Philosophy is an attempt to gain a view of the whole
4. Philosophy is the logical analysis of language and the clarification of the
meaning of words and concepts
5. Philosophy is a group of problems as well as theories about the solution
of these problems
• Philosophy through its various branches such as logic, epistemology,
axiology, and metaphysics accomplishes many of her tasks. Undisputedly,
philosophy has produced some of the greatest educators that ever lived.
Plato, Aristotle, and Dewey to mention a few are notable philosophers
whose views have had a significant impact on educational development
globally for centuries. In the same vein, philosophical theories have
impacted greatly education. Just like doing philosophy involves
speculation, analysis, and prescription, so also the effect of philosophy on
education.
 Purpose and Utility of Philosophy and
General Education Subjects
• For our purpose, we can say philosophy is, first of all, an attitude of the
mind.
• Secondly, it is a method.
• Thirdly, it is an activity.
• Finally, it is a product of all of the above.
 First, as an attitude of the mind:
• First, as an attitude of the mind, philosophy is characterized by the ability to be
puzzled; to wonder at even the ordinary and the commonplace. The love of
wisdom is integrally associated with the quest for truth. Truth is very high
on the agenda of philosophy. That is why it asks deep and searching questions -
has human life got any meaning and purpose? Philosophy is the open and
tolerant attitude that shows itself in the willingness to pursue truth vigorously and
having found it, to be willing to live by it and even to die for it, if necessary; For
a person to develop that kind of attitude is a very good and positive thing in itself
because it certainly helps to build one’s self-understanding
 Second- philosophy is a method
• Secondly, philosophy is a method – a method of asking questions and looking for
answers, a method of checking facts against fantasies and opinions. There are
specific disciplines in philosophy that help its votaries to develop both the
capacity and the skill to do critical thinking. Logic, for example, is the most
outstanding philosophical subject that seeks to develop skills in reasoning and in
sharpening the students’ critical faculties. Once you have acquired this skill in
yourself, you can no longer be easily fooled or led astray by demagogues and
charlatans. What gives a person a better feeling than to be able to stand his/her
ground when discussing the various problems that confront us?
Third- Philosophy is an activity of the mind:

• In the third place, philosophy is an activity of the mind with wide-ranging

applications. It is an activity that seeks to combine the findings arrived
at by the various branches of human knowledge into some consistent
worldview that we can live with. Philosophy, being a perennial quest for
meaning and purpose, seeks answers to the fundamental questions of life
that present themselves anew to each generation, race, and culture.
 Philosophy is the product of all the above
attitudes, methods, and activities, all combined.
• Philosophy is the product of all the above attitudes, methods, and activities, all
combined. Philosophy is many things to many people. There are philosophers
who devote their time to clarifying the meanings of words and language as it
occurs in different disciplines. Their aim is to remove a great deal of ambiguity
in ordinary language. This is what philosophers call “philosophical analysis or
linguistic analysis”. There are also philosophers who attempt to find solutions to
man’s everyday problems in the areas of education, economics, politics,
medicines, and the business world. All these are on a quest to make our lives
more loveable to find meaning in our existence as unique individuals and people.
• Philosophy has influenced the development of society from the ancient
period to date. It contributes to the quest for meaningful and authentic
existence from different angles of life. This perhaps could be a result of
the fact that all other disciplines emanated from philosophy just after the
industrial revolution that struck Europe at the tail end of the 19th century.
Hence, it is said to be the mother of all disciplines. For example, great
scientists like Aristotle, Galileo, etc., were philosophers in a way. All their
efforts were geared toward human existence
 Function of Philosophy
• It is the business of philosophy to clarify and identify sources of such confusion and
bring into being the required clarity and consistency into the underlying confusions
associated with these respective innovations and possible usages and thus evolve relevant
ethical theories within which all can be accommodated and applied for the enhancement
of humanity.
• Also, it is the task of philosophy and philosophers to construct and deploy the requisite
ethical and logical frameworks with a view to educating and arming practitioners to
confront diverse challenges that may besiege them in the course of their efforts.
Thus, philosophy through education explores all aspects of the universe, breaking ground
to critically engage and investigate all that affects human existence at any point in time
 Philosophy and Education look at Authentic
Human Existence
• Technically speaking, it could be argued that philosophy of education
is the application of the principles and methods of philosophy to the
various fields of education. It generates an outlook, an attitude, and
values to the theories and practices of education, making education
intelligible, meaningful, and purposeful. Philosophy of education attempts
to determine what kind of life a person should live, giving purpose and
life to human actions or existence.
• As Nweke in Amaele (2019:67) asserts, philosophy of education: Is a
critical analysis of the past and a search into the unknown with a view
to improving the standards of education… it can be considered as a
coherent set of values and fundamental assumptions used as a basis
for evaluating and guiding the practice of education.