1. PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS OF EDUCATION UNIT-3: KNOWLEDGE, VALUES & CURRICULUM

2. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EDUCATION AND PHILOSOPHY PHILOSOPHY Philosophy – Etymological meaning Philos + Sophia (Greek words) (Love) (Wisdom) Philosophy means ‘Love of Wisdom’ ‘Search for truth’

3. Definitions: R.W. Sellars: “Philosophy is a persistent attempt to gain insight into the nature of world and ourselves by means of systematic reflection”. Brightman: “The attempt to think truly about human experience or a whole, or to make out whole experience intelligible”. Bertrand Russell: “Philosophy is the attempt to answer ultimate questions critically after investigating all that makes such questions puzzling”. Henderson: “A rigorous dynamic disciplined and guarded analysis of some most difficult problems which man has ever faced”.

4. Essential Features of Philosophy: 1.Experimental and Situational 2.Life-related 3.Scientific Attitude 4.Deal with the ultimate

5. Branches of Philosophy: 1.Metaphysics (the theory of reality) 2.Epistemology (the theory of knowledge) 3.Ethics (the theory of Moral Values) 4.Aesthetics (the theory of nature of art) 5.Logic (the theory of Reasoning) 6.Politics (the theory of legal rights & govt.) Note: Axiology (ethics & aesthetics) Ontology - Metaphysics

6. EDUCATION Education has been derived from Latin words; Educare and Educatum, e+duco Educare -‘to lead out’; ‘to draw out’ and ‘to bring forth’ Educatum – It is something which is imposed from outside. It is external growth through activities and experience. The teacher, through education, provides instructions and gives direction to mould his abilities.

7. Indian Perspective on Education: Etymologically, the term ‘Siksha’ has come from the Sanskrit term ‘Shash’ which means to discipline, to control, to order, to direct, to rule, etc. When we are not doing correct or an in disciplinary act, education makes us disciplined controlling our behavior. It is also derived from Sanskrit term ‘Vidya’ which means to know, i.e., knowledge; it is acquisition of knowledge, experiences and skills. The Rig Veda regards education as a force which makes an individual self-reliant as well as selfless.

8. Swami Vivekananda, modern exponent of Vedanta Philosophy, perceived education as the manifestation of divine perfection already existing in man. Education, according to Indian tradition is not merely a means to earn a living; nor is it only a nursery of thought or a school for citizenship. It is initiation into the life of spirit, a training of human souls in pursuit of truth and the practice of virtue. It is a second brith, ‘dvitiyam janam’ – Education for liberation.

9. Definitions: The act or process of educating or being educated. The knowledge or skill obtained or developed by a learning process. A program of instruction of a specified kind or level. The field of study that is concerned with the pedagogy of teaching and learning. An instructive or enlightening experience. The process of acquiring knowledge and understanding. Knowledge and understanding acquired through study and training. The process of teaching, especially at a school, college, or university. The theory of teaching and learning.

10. Dean Kamen: “I think an education is not only important, it is the most important thing you can do with your life”. Aristotle: “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet”. Nelson Mandela: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”. Lyndon B. Johnson: “Education is not a problem. Education is an opportunity”.

11. PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION: Education is the roof, Philosophy is the root. Education and Philosophy are the two sides of the same coin. Jainism considers ‘Do not live to know, but know to live’ as its fundamental maxim, such is the closeness between Education and Philosophy. Education is the dynamic side of Philosophy. Philosophy and Education are the two flowers of one stem. One can never be thought of without the other. The presence of one is incomplete without the other. The art of education cannot be completed without philosophy and philosophy cannot convert others to its aims and values without education. There is a close interaction between the two; one without the other is unserviceable.'

12. Education is practical in nature and philosophy is theory. It is not vague to say that theory and practical are identical. Philosophy is a way of life. In a wider sense philosophy is a way of looking at life, nature and truth. It sets up the ideals for an individual to achieve them in his life time. Education on the other hand is the dynamic side of philosophy. It is the active aspect and the practical means of realising the ideals of life. Education is a sacred necessity of life, both from the biological and sociological point of view. The basic relationship between philosophy and education can be analysed as follows. It is philosophy, that provides the purpose or the aim and it is education which makes it practical.

13. Philosophy shows the way and education moves on in that direction. When we define education as the modification or behaviour, the direction in which, modification to be carried out is determined by philosophy. Thus philosophy deals with the end and education with the means. In fact, we can observe that the great philosophers of all times have been also great educators. For example, Socretes and Plato, the great philosophers, were also famous educators. The philosophy of the teacher is reflected in the child by his method of teaching. So the course of life of the child is definitely influenced by philosophy. Here comes the utility of philosophy.

14. Philosophy is wisdom; education transmits that wisdom from one generation to the other. Philosophy is in reality the theory of education. In other words, education is the dynamic side of philosophy, or application of the fundamental principles of philosophy. Philosophy formulates the method, education its process. Philosophy gives ideals, values and principles, those ideals, values and principles will be inculcate through education. A philosopher tries to live in accordance with those aims and values and also wants others to be converted to his beliefs and live according to them. This he can achieve through education which is the best means for the propagation of his philosophy.

15. PHILOSOPHY AND EDUCATION Metaphysics and Education Epistemology and Education Logic and Education Ethics and Education Aesthetics and Education Social Philosophy and Education Political Philosophy and Education

16. EPISTEMOLOGY AND EDUCATION Epistemology is the branch of philosophy which is concerned with the discussion of the problems concerning knowledge. Its main problems are:  What is the relation between knower and known?  Is the content of knowledge identical with the external object or is it different from it?  How can we know that our knowledge is a real knowledge of the object?  What are the limits of knowledge?

17.  What are the sources of knowledge?  What is knowledge?  Is the knowledge of knower possible, if not, then what is known?  If the known is an object then what is this object?  Is the knowledge of the existence of an object possible without its being known?  How can we distinguish between true and false knowledge?  What is ignorance?

18.  Is it a form of knowledge or different form it?  What is the process of knowledge?  Do we know something which was already existent before our knowledge of it?  What is the meaning of forgetting knowledge?  What is the basis of validity of knowledge?  What are the errors possible in the process of knowledge?  Is our knowledge definite or is the definiteness based purely on our feeling and faith?

19.  How is it that some beliefs are considered to be more valid than others?  What are the distinctions between different types of knowledge?  What are the relations of knowledge with science and philosophy? The above mentioned description of epistemological problems clarifies the scope of epistemology. Its subject matter is the process, methods, object, characteristics, conditions, validity and fallacies of knowledge.

20. Epistemology uses the philosophical methods of induction and deduction, synthesis and analysis. One finds different conclusions presented by different epistemologists regarding epistemological problems. According to realist philosophers knowledge is the knowledge of objects. Idealists define it as the knowledge of ideas. While some epistemologists think that the presence of object is necessary for knowledge, and therefore, every knowledge is a knowledge of both knower and known, other think that the knowledge of known is different from the knowledge of knower.

21. Kant’s famous book Critique of Pure Reason is a permanent contribution to epistemological literature. Empiricist school of philosophy discussed the methods and value of empirical knowledge. Its opposite Rationalist school pointed out how some of the knowledge is innate. Scepticism shows the limits of knowledge. David Hume rightly pointed out that certainty can be possible only in mathematics and not in the field of sciences. Agnosticism shows the relativity of human knowledge.

22. Criticism shows that our knowledge is neither a-priori nor a- posteriori. Knowledge is synthetic, requiring sensibility, understanding and reasoning. Intuitionism shows that intellect and intuition are complementary. Mysticism shows the value of spiritual experiences in the field of religion. Pragmatism rightly maintains that the value of knowledge is in its use. Instrumentalism rightly points out that reason is an instrument for the satisfaction of human needs.

23. Humanism rightly shows that the criterion of all knowledge is man himself and there is no ultimate knowledge. Experimentalism and relativism rightly point out that knowledge is experimental and relative. Thus all the schools of epistemology show the methods, limits and value of knowledge. They supply the necessary foundation for all knowledge, scientific and otherwise.

24. Three Conditions for Knowledge Truth Belief Justification are individually necessary and jointly sufficient for knowledge Knowledge: Justified True Belief Knowledge: Familiar with someone/something.

25. Sources of Knowledge Perception – Five senses: Sight, touch, hearing, smelling and tasting. Introspection – Inside of one’s mind. Memory – Capacity to retain knowledge acquired in the past Reason Testimony – Getting know through persons, books, news papers etc.

26. Types of Epistemology 1.Virtue Epistemology 2.Naturalistic Epistemology 3.Religious Epistemology 4.Moral Epistemology 5.Social Epistemology 6.Feminist Epistemology

27. Types of Knowledge 1.Revealed Knowledge 1. Personal Knowledge 2.Intuitive Knowledge 2. Procedural Knowledge 3.Rational Knowledge 3. Propositional Knowledge 4.Empirical Knowledge 5.Authoritative Knowledge

28. Theory of Knowledge. Tripartite Theory Truth Justification Belief

29. PHILOSOPHICAL BASES OF CURRICULUM The Application of Philosophy to Education 1.Mastering the unique theoretical tools of philosophy including categories of thought like ‘reality’, ‘knowledge’, and ‘value’ as well as modes of thinking like ‘speculation’, ‘analysis’ and ‘prescription’. 2.The employment of these tools in examining the criteria and rationale of educational practice; and, 3.A scholarly acquaintance with ideas, events and practices that bear upon the field of education.

30. Nowhere is this dependence of education on philosophy more marked than in the question of the curriculum. In the first chapter of his work on Education Spencer asserts that in the determination of the curriculum “our first step must obviously be to classify, in the order of their importance, the leading kinds of activity which constitute human life”. To this principle there can be but little objection. But immediately we seek to fix the relative value of subjects, to classify them “in the order of their importance,” differences of aim and of philosophy emerge and confuse the issues. Smith, Stanley and Shores speak of moral authority as one of the chief guides of curriculum building. They say that ‘moral authority is derived from fundamental principles of right and wrong. Evidently, the problem is philosophical.

31. According to Spencer, the building of a curriculum should be based on the main human activities. He fixes the relative value of subjects in order of their importance; e.g., he gives first place to subjects that relate to self preservation. According to the naturalists, the present experiences, activities and interest should be the guiding factor. The idealists, the child’s present and future activities are not important at all in the curriculum construction. The experiences of the human race as epitome in sciences and humanities should provide the primary consideration in deciding a curriculum. The idealist does not emphasise one subject in preference to another. In fact, he attaches great importance to the quality of personal greatness which some subjects have in abundance. The idealist’s point of view is subjective, as opposed to merely objective value. The pragmatists emphasise the principle of utility as the main criteria for determining the nature of curriculum.

32. Lodge in “Philosophy of Education” writes: “All subjects on the curriculum will be used to develop mastery over techniques in order to solve new problems rather than to train memory capable of flawless reproduction of systematic contents”. The realists think that a bookish, abstract or sophisticated curriculum is useless. They want to concentrate on realities of life. They emphasise the importance of subjects that fall within the range of natural science. The surprising and welcome interest and activity recently manifested in the problem of the curriculum is at present arrested for the want of a philosophical criterion. Thus Bode in “Modern Educational Theories”, remarks that unless we have some sort of guiding philosophy in the determination of objectives we get nowhere at all.

33. Philosophy and Education PHILOSOPHY Axiology Epistemology Metaphysics Aims Method Curriculum EDUCATION

34. Briggs in discussing Curriculum Problems says: “It is just here that education seriously needs leaders-leaders who hold a sound comprehensive philosophy of which they can convince others, and who can direct its consistent application to the formulation of appropriate curricula”. The philosopher, on the one hand, looking at life from the idealistic standpoint believes that work can, and ought to, be humanized, that man should be able to find satisfaction in his labour, that “we have some how to discover there a theatre for the attainment if not of the highest, certainly of genuine spiritual principle of ‘compensation’. It is not without significance that almost the best plea ever made for practical work in schools was penned by one of the most idealistic of educational philosophers, namely, Frobel. The above discussion indicates that the problem of curriculum construction is philosophical in terms of the philosophical beliefs held by a group of people. The same is true of textbooks as well.

35. Schools of Thought 1.Idealism 2.Realism 3.Naturalism 4.Pragmatism 5.Existentialism 6.Logical Positivism 7.Socialism 8.Fascism 9.Marxism 10.Communism 11.Humanism 12. Secularism

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