Thales is known as the first philosopher. Miletus was the first school where the education of philosophy was taught. Philosophy was the first concept through which people were taught about reality and how to lead lives. Over time, the revolution of knowledge increased and philosophy separated into many disciplines. When modernism came, we are happy that we got all facilities that comfort us to live, love, pray, and investigate the new world. But, where did the facilities come from?
Education is nothing but the awareness of the idea and materials. So, the simplest question is, which one came first: idea or material? So for this, one needs to read a biography of a martyred mother, who was killed by some corporal people. She is none of the philosophy who was killed and her children were separated from her. Theology, Psychology, Science, Technology, Sociology, Epistemology, Astrology, Astronomy and so on were separated from her and taken out of the soul from them. One of which is the philosophy of education.
The philosophy of education, or educational philosophy, is a branch of applied philosophy in which the core nature of education is discussed. It gives clarification to the educator about how the knowledge, norms, values, attitudes, and behaviours are applied to shape the learner’s understanding. The philosophy of education is what analyzes the overall issue of education and helps solve educational problems. Secondly, these are philosophical laws to give worth to knowledge and a worthy method of teaching and promoting the learner’s holistic development. In this passage, the differences and relationship between philosophy and education would be discussed, focusing on the contribution of philosophy.
Education is to practice changing what is needed to be changed.
The word philosophy came from two Greek words [Philo and Sophia]. Philo refers to love, while Sophia means knowledge or wisdom. This means the love of wisdom or the love of knowledge. Philosophy always has two fundamental questions to know wisdom. What is it? And why is it? The first attention of philosophy is to know the creation–the absolute, the one–through which, or by whom, the universe is created.
The word education has been taken from three different words. The first is “Educare,” which means to train or to mould. The second is “Educere,” meaning to lead out and the third is “Educatum,” which means to “grow up.” By focusing on these roots, we may perceive that education is the action and application of knowledge. S.S. Mackenzie said, “Education is a process in which and by which knowledge, character and behaviour of the young are shaped and moulded.” In simple words, education is to practice changing what is needed to be changed. That can be behaviour, knowledge, natural phenomena, mind, or attitude. Thus, philosophy knows the knowledge, and education applies that knowledge.
Philosophy and education are interdependent. AS Ross said, “Philosophy and education are two sides of the same coin, the one is implied by the other, the former is the contemplative side of the life, while other is active side.”
Philosophy finds the knowledge and problem and needs the results and solution. For this, education is the second way to help philosophy to search for and investigate knowledge. Therefore, philosophy would be passive while education is active to progress philosophy. John Adams said, “Education is the dynamic side of philosophy.”
Because without education, philosophy is not able to achieve wisdom and in the same way, education needs philosophy to show wisdom so that education walks towards that wisdom. Therefore, Tilak and Gandhi said, “Education without philosophy is blind and philosophy without education is invalid.”
Philosophy is the soul of education. Education is unthinkable without philosophy so it is due to philosophy, education gets the real destination. Education is the way to go and philosophy is the tool. Education is built by an educationist. Then, it is proved that the great philosophers have been great educationalists. Such as Socrates, Imam Ghazali, and Mother Teresa. How and why? Let’s have a look at the three main branches by which education is run.
The aim of education is metaphysics.
Metaphysics gives aims to education: what is to be achieved, gained, and avoided. And what is the essence, reality, truth and what is not? It is what we call curriculum, and by this, education runs. Metaphysics helps educators to choose contents, topics, real knowledge and the truth behind of.
The method of education is epistemology.
By epistemology, we know what knowledge is given to learners revealed, natural and rational. So philosophy tells what method of teaching is suitable for what knowledge. It tells how the knowledge is transferred and worth teaching.
The value of education is axiology.
The first priority of education is character building, social norms value, ethical values, moral development, the beauty of things and people and art skill towards learners. This is all because of the philosophy of axiology educationists build the curriculum of education for learners. So if we take out all treasures of wisdom, education remains a dead body with its soul philosophy.
Education with its soul cannot live and philosophy without its body cannot move. But unfortunately, the soul of education is separated, and education nowadays remains a dead body, which cannot see new treasures of wisdom. Thus, for finding these new treasures of wisdom, the educationist has to put the soul into the body of education so that the people should come out from the dark cave toward the light of knowledge.
The writer is a student.