Philosophy of Education

Philosophy of Education is the field of philosophy that examines, clarifies and directs the objectives, methods and pedagogical actions of an educational institution.

The philosophy of education can influence the choice of subjects taught in an institution and the way this teaching is carried out in the basic curriculum.

In most educational institutions, it also helps to inspire and direct educational planning, programs and processes.

Because it is important for education as a whole, it is one of the main subjects of higher education courses, such as pedagogy.

What is the importance?

The educational process depends on four fundamental aspects: the educational institution, the teachers, the curricula and the students .

These four aspects are strongly correlated and are integrated into the educational process of an educational institution.

Some scholars in the field believe that education is the result of philosophical doctrines, and educators are, in fact, philosophers.

Therefore, the philosophy of education is important in the construction and development of the educational process in the following aspects:

• It helps to understand, maintain or modify the educational process of an educational institution;
• Identifies conflicts and contradictions in any pedagogical theory that disturbs the students’ educational process;
• Develops the human capacity to raise ideas and discuss different pedagogical theories and how they affect students’ individual and social lives;
• Directs the teaching institution to understand its purpose in the social education of students;
• It assists and supports the significant human language. The objective of any educational institution, which is to qualify a person for public life and to be an effective member of society.

The emergence of the philosophy of education and its theorists

Major Greek philosophers developed philosophical views of education, embodied in their broader and more general theories.

Socrates claimed that an education that sought reasoning and identified the reasons to justify human beliefs, judgments and actions was fundamental.

This thinking gave rise to the idea that education should encourage, in all students and people, the search for reason .

This theory has also been shared by most of the great figures in the history of philosophy of education, despite differences in their other philosophical views.

Plato , a student of Socrates, defended his master’s claim, supporting the idea that the fundamental task of education is to help students to value reason.

Therefore, he stated that wisdom should be above pleasure, honor and other activities considered less worthy.

He set out a vision of education in which different groups of students would receive different types of education depending on their abilities, interests and positions in life.

His utopian vision has been seen by many as a forerunner of what has been called the “educational order”.

Centuries later, the American philosopher John Dewey also supported the claim that education should be tailored to each child individually.

Aristotle asserted that the highest purpose of education is to promote wisdom and was more optimistic than his teacher, the philosopher Plato, about the student’s abilities.

He also emphasized that the moral virtue and character of the individual can be developed in the practical, community-led context, in addition to the educational field.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau argued that education should allow for the natural and free development of children, a view that led to the modern movement known as “open education”.

Unlike Plato, Rousseau described a fundamentally different education for boys and girls, raising gender issues discussed until the present day.

The history of philosophy of education includes other great philosophers such as:

• Brazilian pedagogue Paulo Freire;
• Erasmus of Rotterdam;
• Thomas Aquinas;
• Thomas Hobbes;
• Rene Descartes.