EDF211/1

MASINDE MULIRO UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONS

EDF 211: PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

COURSE NOTES

COURSE OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the course are to:

i)         Enable students to understand the nature and purpose of philosophy as an intellectual discipline.

ii)       Introduce students to philosophy of education as an educational discipline .

iii)      Enable students to understand the implications of philosophy to education.

In order to appreciate the importance of philosophy for an educator, students will be guided to critically examine the philosophical foundations of life in general and the philosophical foundations of education in particular. Thus various dimensions (aspects) of education will be examined.

GENERAL OUTLINE

Philosophy of Education is both philosophical and educational in character. That it is to say, while the method used in the course is that of philosophy, the problem/issues discussed are within the field of Education. Accordingly, the main dimensions of education will be analyzed and discussed in conjunction with appropriate branches of philosophy. Hence, we shall discuss Epistemology and Education, logic and Education, Axiology and Education, Metaphysics and education.

DETAILED OUTLINE NOTES

Part One: Introduction

1.1. An introduction to philosophy

1.1.1. Etymological Definition of Philosophy

a. Etymology Table

Φιλια (Greek)

Love

(Striving after,

Search for)

Σοφις(Greek)

Wise

( Learned,

System of  lifeStrife for Wisdom

Search for Wisdom

Seeking Knowledge

Σοφια(Greek)

Wisdom

(Knowledge)

Φιλοσοϕια(Greek)

Love of Wisdom

Philosophia (Love of Wisdom)(Latin)

      Philosophie(Love of Wisdom)(French)

      Philosophy(Love of Wisdom)(English)

b. Inference

The term philosophy is derived from two Greek words Philia-meaning love(loving), striving after, searching for; and Sophia meaning wisdom or knowledge. Philosophy can therefore  mean the love of knowledge, pursuit of wisdom; systematic investigation.

c. Pertinent Questions

What is Love? i). Love is the affectionate Feeling/ attraction towards someone/ something/or an activity ii). A commitment, An act of pursuing that which is ultimately good (Not bound by time, place, feelings, or other variables- It is a constant).

What is Wisdom? i). Ability to subsequently distinguish between what is ultimately good/right, to avoid  what is ultimately bad/wrong wrong  and to choose what is ultimately  right/good so as to live a meaningful life. ii. Committed pursuit of Truth .

Who is a Philosopher? (Part 1)  i) General Definition: Any person who is able to distinguish between what is ultimately good/right, avoid  what is ultimately[1] bad/wrong wrong  and to choose what is ultimately  right/good so as to live a meaningful life.

  ii) Strict definition: Any person who  is committed to the pursuit of Truth through  a    systematic  investigation

                        

1.1.2.  Operational definition of Philosophy

Working definition of Philosophy can take various dimensions

a. Material Definition: The  Systematic study of the general and fundamental  nature of Reality,  knowledge and   values.[2]

Who is a Philosopher? (Part 2)

Philosophers are persons who ponder such concepts as existence or being, morality or goodness, knowledge, truth and beauty.

b. Formal Definition:  Philosophy can mean the academic exploration or  Analytical , Creative  and/or Critical way of thinking about assumptions, beliefs or fundamental problems of life[3]

Who is a Philosopher? (Part 3)[4]

   A philosopher is a person who has  biased, critical and reflective thinking that can generate principles and theories.

     1.1.3.  General vs Technological Definition

   Sapientia/ Sapiens/ Homo(Wisdom/ Wise/ Man): The beginning of philosophy coincides with the beginnings of man /homo sapiens ( meaning Wise man or Philosopher man).

ü  Philosophy is therefore  universal(but also Particular) Universality of philosophy means that philosophy as a human/ homo sapiential response can be found in every period of history in every culture/society on earth.

ü  Philosophy is not a preoccupation of scholars only but all humanity because they all question their  humanity, human condition and experiences of life.

ü  Africans expressing their traditional thought through stories, riddles and proverbs is as much part of philosophy as books by renown philosophers like Plato in The Republic

ü  One’s philosophy of life e.g. to be a farmer, teacher, carpenter etc is as much philosophy as national philosophies like  Kenya’s Nyayo Philosophy, Tanzania’s Ujamaa.

ü  Philosophy in general sense also refers principles that govern an institution

ü  Particularity of General Philosophy implies its variance from time to time (traditional or modern), from place to place (European, African, Asian  etc). Particular means that, a human being facing different situations in different places at different times is likely to respond differently to these situations because of  authenticity of thought[5].

Who is a Philosopher? (Part 5)[6]: A thinker who is independent, genuine, original, critical and sincere, giving a personal answer to a personal questions through a personal struggle.[7]

1.1.4. Technical Philosophy

Also referred to as formal/academic philosophy.

An academic discipline comprising of specialized content, methods and specialists known as Technical/academic/Formal philosophers.

 It is both a process (activity of vigorous thinking concerning perplexing questions/issues of life )and a product( the outcome of the process thinking i.e. established systems of thought, views and ideas).

 Meant for  few people; individuals who are committed to scrutinizing issues, problems going beyond the surface common sense aspects to their logical composition.

Chracteristics of Technical Philosophy

      (i)    Formalization

ü  It is a process whereby a definite form is given to a variety of human activities; form refers to the presence of a structure, pattern or system. Formalization in our context in philosophy refers to formalization of thought.

ü  Initially, philosophy consisted of the general amorphous sense. With the advent of writing, the various philosophical thought began to be expressed in a more definite, systematic and lasting form.

ü  Today the world of technical philosophy is a world of books, scholarly writings, formal language and systematic thought because it is an exclusive domain for academic scholars leaving no room for oral traditions of the past and common philosophies of life.

ü  Writing also allowed for debate and as long as debate continued, philosophy continued to thrive.

          (ii) Westernization

ü  Western civilization has greatly influenced the field of learning to an extent that philosophy is attributed to Western philosophers.

ü  It is believed that philosophy originated from ancient Greece and was further developed in Europe and America. Philosophy is closely associated with Western civilization to an extend that anyone interested in it must be familiar with the various systems like realism (emphasizes that there is a world of real existence which exists independently  of human mind), idealism (stresses the idea that reality is an expression of the mind: knowledge is based on recognition/remembrance of latent/inborn ideas  already present in the mind), pragmatism (views reality as a changing phenomenon: man sees reality differently as he interacts with it), as well as the philosophical language that is associated with it.

ü  As a result of this, Western philosophy is assumed to be the standard of technical philosophy. For instance, ancient Egypt played a very big role in the field of learning such as medicine and philosophy. Ancient Greece and anyone who had studied in Egypt was highly regarded as an authority.

            iii. Specialization

ü  Refers to the acquisition of exceptional knowledge of, or skills in a given discipline/subject as a result of constant and intensive study.

ü  In ancient Greece, a philosopher was a scholar who specialized in the exploration of the nature of man and the world. The knowledge was not dichotomized into rational and empirical domains. A philosopher was thus a Master of Arts and Science.

ü  Due to westernization, western specialists started at one time to dominate the field of formal philosophy and subsequently imposed their language, interests and methods upon others making formal philosophy highly technical and a matter for experts; always within the Western context.

ü  Aristotle, an ancient Greek philosopher wrote widely on ethics, politics, fine art, logic, biology and physics.

ü  Philosophy was referred to as the mother of all sciences, the most distinguished science ‘scientia eminentia’. With the advent of scientific evolution, the empirical sciences were detached from philosophy. Later on, other disciplines like sociology, psychology and anthropology developed as independent disciplines from philosophy. These developments led to a  situation where philosophy acquired its own methods, content and terminologies.[8]

     1.15.  Brief History of Philosophy in the West

1.       PRE-PHILOSOPHICAL TIMES.

ü  Dominated by poets and mythologies

ü  Myths and poems were like the modern bible

ü  gods were immoral but people followed them due to dogmatism

ü  Reasoning was non-rational and no room for divergent thinking

ü  People were captive in thinking

ü  Key figures include Homer and Hesiod

---