Philosophical Bases of Education

1. Unit II - Philosophical Bases of Education
Dr.M.Deivam
Assistant Professor
Department of Education
The Gandhigram Rural Institute (Deemed to be University)
Gandhigram, Dindigul District, Tamil Nadu 624 302

2. Contents
• Philosophy: Meaning, Definition, Nature,
Types, Classification and Scope.
• Relation between Education and Philosophy.
• Educational Philosophy: Meaning, Definition,
Nature and Characteristics and Scope.
• Gandhian concept of Education for Integrated
Development of Human Being.

3. Meaning of Philosophy
• The term philosophy has a Greek origin.
• The word philosophy can be traced to the
Greek word “philosophia” which is made up of
the words – ‘philos’ (meaning love) and
‘sophia’ (meaning wisdom).
• Therefore the literal meaning of philosophy is
‘love of wisdom’

4. Definitions of Philosophy
Coleridge. “Science of sciences”.
Cicero. “Mother of all arts” and “true medicine of
mind”.
Arstippus. “The ability to feel at ease in any society”.
Dewey. “Whenever philosophy has been defined, it
has been assumed that it signified achieving a
wisdom that would influence the conduct of life”.
Plato. “He who has a taste for every sort of knowledge
and is curious to learn and is never satisfied may be
termed as philosopher”.
Radhakrishnan. “Philosophy is the logical inquiry into
the nature of reality”.
Bacon. “Philosophy is the great mother of science”.

6. Nature of Philosophy
• Philosophy is a search for reality and truth
• Philosophy is based on enquiry.
• Philosophy is local.
• Philosophy is a dynamic and living force.
• Philosophy is an art as well as science.
• Philosophy is closely related to education.
• Philosophy is an intellectual attempt to interpret and
understand nature.
• Philosophy is love of knowledge.
• Philosophy is love of wisdom.
• Philosophy is a guide to a way of life.

8. Importance of studying philosophy
1. The study of Philosophy enables us to think
carefully and clearly about important issues.
2. In studying Philosophy, we learn to take a step
back from our everyday thinking and to explore
the deeper, bigger question which underpins our
thought.
3. The focus in the study of Philosophy is to learn
not what to believe, but how to think.
4. Studying philosophy sharpens your analytical
abilities, enabling you to identify and evaluate
the strengths and weaknesses in any position.

9. Cont.,
• 5. It hones your ability to construct and
articulate cogent arguments of your own.
• 6. It prompts you to work across disciplinary
boundaries and to think flexibly and creatively
about problems which do not present
immediate solutions.
• 7. Because philosophy is an activity as much a
body of knowledge, it also develops your
ability to think and work independently.

10. Relationship between Philosophy and
Education
• The relationship between philosophy and education
is very close.
• Philosophy sets the goals and education tells the
means to achieve them.
• Philosophy is the theory while education is the
practice.
• Philosophy is the contemplative side and education
is the active side.

11. Cont.,
• Education is applied philosophy.
• Philosophy deals with the abstract while
education deals with the concrete.
• Education and philosophy are the two sides of
a coin.
• All great philosophers were also great
educators.

12. Cont.,
• Examples: Thales in Greece, Confucius in
China, Sree Budha, Swaini Vivekananda and
Mahatma Gandhi in India. They reflect their
philosophical views in their educational
schemes.
• The truths and principles established by
philosophy are applied in education.
• Fitche said "The arch of education will never
attain complete clearness. without
philosophy".

13. Cont.,
• All educational programmes are based on
certain philosophy.
• All the aspects of education such as aims,
objectives, curriculum, methods of teaching,
teacher, text books and discipline are
influenced by philosophy.

14. Classifications/ Types of Indian Philosophy
Astika darsana
• Mimamsa
• Vedanta
• Sankhya
• Yoga
• Nyaya and
• Vaisesika
Nastika darsana
• Carvakas
• Buddhism
• Jainism

15. Vedas
• Those systems that accept the authority of the
Vedas are known as āstika darśana (orthodox
systems or schools) while those systems that
do not accept the authority of the Vedas are
known as nāstika darśana (heterodox systems
or schools).

16. Cont.,
• The schools or systems of Indian philosophy are
divided into two broad classes, namely,
orthodox (astika, Vedic) and heterodox (nastika,
Non-Vedic).
• The first group belong the six chief
philosophical systems (popularly known as sad-
darsana), namely, Mimamsa, Vedanta, Sankhya,
Yoga, Nyaya and Vaisesika. These are regarded
as orthodox (astika), not because they believe in
God, but because they accept the authority of
the Vedas.

17. Cont.,
• The Mimamsa and the Sankhya do not believe
in God as the creator of the world, yet they
are called orthodox (astika), because they
believe in the authoritativeness of the Vedas.
• The other class of Heterodox systems, the
chief three are the schools of the Materialists
like the Carvakas, the Bauddhas and the Jains.
They are called heterodox because they do
not believe in the authority of the Vedas.

18. Scope of Philosophy

19. Scope of Philosophy
Scope of
Philosophy
Epistemology
Metaphysics
Ideology
Ethics
Aesthetics
and
theology
Logic

20. Epistemology
• Epistemology is the philosophy of knowledge. It
is often called theory of knowledge also. We
have the experience or concept or phenomenon
of knowledge. Philosophy explains that concept.
And that is called epistemology.
 What is truth?
 What is doubt?
 What are the sources of acquiring technology?

21. Metaphysics
• Metaphysics is the philosophy or theory of the
‘real’. Knowledge that is studied in epistemology
automatically leads us to the question of the
‘known’. Knowledge is different from mere thought
or imagination
It deals with questions like
What is soul?
What is a living being?
What is the relationship between body and soul?

22. Ideology
An ideology is a collection of ideas or beliefs
shared by a group of people
Does God exist?
If yes, what are the proofs?
What is the nature of god?

23. Ethics
• Any consideration that you will bring to bear on
your choices will have what is commonly called
the ‘moral’ implication. The sense of goodness or
propriety or duty is central to all human thought
and behaviour. Ethics is the study of human
conduct based on moral impulses and wisdom.
• What is good?
• What is evil?
• What is good behaviour?

24. Aesthetics and theology
• The first is concerned with the inquiry into the nature
of beauty
• The second investigates the nature of religious
experiences. In fact aesthetics is concerned with the
creation and appreciation of all arts.
• Theology, which constitutes a deep inquiry into
religious phenomena, is more commonly called
philosophy of religion.
• What is beauty?
• What is ugly?

25. Logic
Logic is concerned with proper reasoning. The
study of logic features most prominently in the
subjects of philosophy, mathematics, and
computer science. Logic is generally considered
formal when it analyzes and represents the form
of any valid argument type
• What is nature of logical thinking?
• What is the relationship of inductive and
deductive logical methods?

26. Types of Philosophy
1) Speculative : search for order and linkage in
ideas.
2) Perspective : opinion and ideas of THINKERS.
3) Occidental : understand each cause and
effect.
4) Continental : historical connection of all
ideas.
5) Analytical : process of logical discourse.
6) Pure : based on thought experiments.
7) Applied : practical application of ideas.

27. Schools of Philosophy

28. Idealism
Idealism believes in the existence of god
Ultimate reality is spiritual
Universe is god’s creation

29. Naturalism
• Naturalism has no belief in the existence of
god
• Ultimate reality is physical
• Universe is man’s creation

30. Pragmatism
• Pragmatism has some belief in the existence
of God
• Ultimate reality is utility
• Universe is natural creation
• Values are changeable

31. Realism
• Education is based on science only
• It emphasizes on behaviour and experiment
• Both individual and society are valued

32. Educational Philosophy

34. Definitions of Educational Philosophy
• Educational Philosophy is a fundamental basic skill
formation, concerning to the power of thought
(intellectual), the power of feeling (emotional), and
human nature (John Dewey, 1957).
• Educational philosophy is a science that is
essentially the answer to the questions in the field
of education. Philosophy of education is an
application of philosophical analysis to the field of
education. (Imam Barnadit, 1993)

35. Cont.,
• Educational Philosophy is a regular activity of the
thought, which makes philosophy as a way to
organize, harmonize and integrate the educational
process. (Al-Syaibani 1979)

36. SIGNIFICANCE OF PHILOSOPHY OF
EDUCATION

37. Philosophy affects the aims of
education
• It is the philosophy of the time, which
determines whether the aim of education,
should be moral, vocational, intellectual,
spiritual or liberal. Rusk, therefore, says,
“Every system of education must have an aim
and the aims of education are related to the
aims of life. Philosophy formulates what
should be the end of life while education
offers suggestions how this end is to be
achieved.

38. Philosophy determines the choice of
studies or curriculum
• When aims are set, the next step is to find
means to achieve those aims. Curriculum is
the mean through which educator realizes his
goal. Aims of education on the other hand are
determined by philosophy. Hence, philosophy
too decides why a particular subject should be
included in the curriculum.

39. Text Book
• The choice of textbooks also involves
philosophy. The textbooks must cater to the
needs of an ideal life. So it is indisputably a
fact that philosophy has its role in the choice
of textbooks.

40. Philosophy and the choice of method
• Aims of education are subject to the philosophy
of life. Methods are means through which goals
of education can be realized. There are many
instances, in which philosophical principles have
influenced method. For example, pragmatists
advocate project method. Naturalists, learning by
doing and for the idealist, the school is a garden
and teacher a gardener, whose main function is
to tend the little human plants under his charge,
very carefully, and thus helps to grow to beauty
and perfection.

41. Philosophy determines the type of
discipline to be maintained
The child is humanized by the social
environment. The business of the teacher is the
maintenance of discipline and to tell the
students about the social norm. Students will
accordingly behave.
There should be any nature and form of
discipline. Philosophy determines the nature
and form of discipline. Whether school
discipline should be strict and rigid or flexible
and free is philosophical problem.

42. Philosophy and teachers
• In the widest sense, every person has a
philosophy of life and in the same way every
educator has a philosophy of education. What a
teacher really and truly believes shows itself in
his actions and in his attitude towards life.
When he is really earnest about his beliefs, he
will not keep them to himself but will do all in
has power to persuade others. This is the
mainspring of all missionary efforts.

43. Nature and Characteristics

48. SCOPE OF PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

49. SCOPE OF PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION
The scope of philosophy of education is concerned with the
problems of education
These problems mainly include –
• interpretation of human nature, the world and the universe
and their relation with man,
• interpretation of aims and ideals of education,
• the relationship of various components of the system of
education,
• relationship of education and various areas of national life
[economic system, political order, social progress, cultural
reconstructions etc.],
• educational values,
• theory of knowledge and its relationship to education

50. The scope of philosophy of education
includes following.
• Aims and Ideals of Education Philosophy
To building, man making, harmonious human
development, preparation for adult life, -
development of citizenship, -utilization of leisure,
training for civic life, training for international living,
achieving social and national integration, human
source development and etc.,

51. Interpretation of Human Nature
• A philosophical picture of human nature is a result
of the synthesis of the facts borrowed from all the
human science such as biology, sociology,
psychology, economics and anthropology and
other human science.

52. Educational Values
Educational values are' determined by philosophical
values. Educational values propagated by different
philosophers have been derived from their own
world, view and their outlook on the purpose of
human life.

53. Theory of Knowledge
• Education is related to knowledge (epistemology).
It is one of the branches of philosophy, therefore,
an important area of the functioning of philosophy
of education is related to theory of knowledge.

54. Relationship of education and various area of
national life and various components of the
system of education:
One of the most important contributions of the
philosophy of education to the cause of education
is the provision of criteria for deciding the
relationship of state and education, economic
system and education, curriculum, school
organization and management, discipline etc.
These problems have led to the evaluation of
different philosophies of education. The criteria of
judgment everywhere are determined by
philosophy, therefore, philosophy of education
provides the criteria for critical evaluation and
judgment in these fields.

55. Another aspect of Scope of
Philosophy of education
• Elements of Philosophy: Metaphysics, Epistemology, Logic,
ethics, aesthetics all relate to educational issues
• Philosophical Analysis: Application of techniques of linguistic
analysis to examine educational concepts and ideas; a
rigorous approach to the language of education and a
separation of facts from values, and slogans.
• History of educational theories and Ideas: Theories of other
philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas and Dewey are
useful in education. The schools of philosophy like Naturalists,
Idealists, realists, Existentialists and Pragmatists also help in
education. This is useful because education is too good to do
without philosophy.

56. Gandhian concept of Education for
Integrated Development of Human being

57. Mahatma Gandhi

58. Life History
• Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (MK Gandhi) was born at
porbandar in kathiawar of Gujarat state on October 2, 1869.
• ‘Bapu’ out of affection
• His father was a dewan (Chief Administrator and Chief
Revenue officer)
• He is a Father of nation
• He was married to kasturibai at the age of thirteen
• Education in England: When 18 years old, he was sent to
London to study law.
• Work in South Africa: After returning from England, he
started his law practice at Bombay. In April 1893 itself, he
went to south africa
• Gandhiji found that the Indians in South Africa were treated
very harshly and in fact like animals.

59. Cont.,
• Gandhiji’s Educational Experiments: Tolstoy farm at Transwal in South
Africa proved very valuable to him in formulation new system of
education.
• The child had to devote 8 hours a day for vocational training and only 2
hours to book learning.
• Learning by doing and learning by cooperation chief methods of
education.
• Gandhiji came to india in 1914. He continued his educational
experiments for a short time at Shantiniketan, then at Sabarmathi
Ashram and Finally Sewagram Ashram if located 16 km from warda.
• Gandhiji life was full of struggle, sacrifice and suffering from 1919 to
1947.
• The whole world was plunged into deep grief and sorrow on January 30,
1948, when he was shot dead by a Hindu fanatic called Nathuram
Goodse.

60. Publication of MK Gandhi
• Autobiography
• Basic Education
• Harijan
• India of my Dreams
• Medium of Instruction
• Tasks Before Indian Students
• To the students
• Towards New Education
• True Education

61. EDUCATION IS DEVELOPMENT:
• “All round” implies harmonious development.
‘Drawing out the best’ recognizes a great potentiality
coiled up in the child which can be realised and
developed to its perfection through education.
• It is development of human personality in terms of
physical, intellectual and spiritual aspects. Education
should take care of the whole child, the human
personality. It should be the function of education to
bring about a harmonious development of all the
aspects of human personality so that it can grow to its
highest stature and serve the society at its best.

62. EDUCATION IS NOT LITERACY
• According to Gandhiji literacy itself is no
education. Literacy is just a means of
education. He emphasized the development
of head, heart and hand (3 H). According to
Gandhiji “true education is that which draws
out and stimulates the spiritual, intellectual
and physical faculties of the children.

63. Education for Integrated
Development of Human being
• Gandhi's concept of education is of quite significance in
the contemporary situation. His philosophical concept of
education is entirely based on the development of human
personality, to maintain the discipline, to create the
manual work with learning and to develop the culture of
the peace.
• He was a great educationist and an individualist par
excellence. He knew that education is the most important
means in the society which can be used as an instrument
of socio-economic progress, material advancement,
political evolution and moral development of an
individual.

64. Cont.,
• Gandhi's whole philosophy and work was
based on ethics and morality. His concept of
education is also founded on ethics and
morality. It may be said that his concept of
education has full of religious ideas. His idea of
religion is different from common concept. His
concept of religion is 'service of humanity'. For
the spirit of religions he propounded 'Nai
Talim' or 'basic education'

65. Basic Education
• Basic Education is absolutely a new Philosophy
of Education which rejected bookish education
and gave priority to practical manual work.
• Basic Education aimed to bring a remedy to the
educational and social ills and integrate the
three agencies of education: Home, School and
Society

66. Aim of Basic Education
• All round development of the personality of the child
(Physical, mental, intellectual, aesthetic, moral and
spiritual)
• Character building
• Self-sufficiency: He said that the economic self-sufficiency
is the most important fruit of good education
• Social uplift and welfare
• The development of 3H (Education for Heart, Head, and
Hand)
• To develop vocational efficiency
• Training for citizenship
• Preparation for complete living

67. Features of Basic Education
• Free and Compulsory Education for all from the
age 7 to 14
• Craft is the centre of education
• Self-supporting education
• Mother tongue as the medium of instruction
• Ideal of citizenship
• Cooperating living

68. Principal Features of Gandiji’s
Philosophy of life
• Supreme God: He said, “God pervades everything. God
is life, Truth and Light”.
• Truth and Ahimsa (Non-violence): According to Gandhiji,
“Truth and Ahimsa are the two sides of a coin”
• Service of Humanity: Service to people
• Self-discipline and Self-purification: Gandhiji always held
the high ideals of purity, sacrifice and service
• Righteousness and truth as the highest religion: true
religion and true morality are inseparably bound up with
each other.
• Ram Rajya as the Concept of a Society: He wanted to
establish Ram Rajya which he identified with justice,
peace, happiness and welfare of all.

69. Gandhiji as an Idealist, Naturalist and
Pragmatic Educationist
• Idealist: truth, non-violence and character
development clearly indicates that he was an
idealist
• Naturalism: Mother-tongue as the medium of
instruction and providing freedom to the child
reflect his naturalism
• Pragmatism: Experimental approach to
educational and other issues.

70. Curriculum
• It includes vocational subjects, social studies
and general sciences. Craft is an essential part
of curriculum. It is an activity and utilitarian
curriculum.

71. Methods of Teaching
• Craft oriented education
• Learning by doing

72. Teacher
• The teacher should posses all the values
desirable by the society.
• He should be an man of sincerity, honesty
with love and affection.
• He has to correlate the various subjects with
craft

73. Discipline
• Self-discipline
• Freedom is essential (it develops
creativity of the child)

74. Impact of Basic Education
• Kothari Commission suggested work experience
• SUPW by pattel committee suggested
• National policy on Education (1986),
Vocationalisation of secondary Education