FOUNDATION OF EDUCATION ::RELATION BETWEEN EDUCATION AND PHILOSOPHY

Education: Great educators in the past explained the term “Education” as the art of “Leading out”, “Education”- “E” means “out of” and “duco” means “to lead”.

Philosophy: The word Philosophy is made up of two Greek words- “Phileo” and “Sophia”. “Phileo” means love and “Sophia” means wisdom. The term Philosophy means “love of wisdom”.

From the above definitions of education and philosophy, philosophy and education are related to each other like flower and its fragrance, skeleton and flesh. They are two flowers of one stem, and two sides of a coin.

Philosophy is the contemplative side, while the education is the active side of the coin.

The following statement give better understanding of the relation between Philosophy and education.

1.         Philosophy and education are two sides of coin (Ross). 
2.        Education is the dynamic side of philosophy (John Adams). 

·        Philosophy is the theory of education in its most general phase. Education is a laboratory in which Philosophical directions become concrete and are tested. (Dewey).

To further determine the relation between education and philosophy we need to understand the following:

•      Education is Philosophy in action: It is obvious that philosophy provides the purpose or the aim and education makes it practical. Philosophy will show the direction and education will proceed the direction. Education without philosophy is blind and philosophy without education is invalid or lame. Thus, Education is the dynamic side of philosophy. In other words, it is philosophy in action.
•     Education philosophy is an applied philosophy: In practical experience, a Philosopher must think out his principles, before applying them to human life. Education believes in applying the practice by going through Philosophy and understanding the significance for life in general. Example- To change the behavior of a child, Philosopher gives us the information of standard and values. While education is a trial to put them into practice. By this we can say that education philosophy is an applied philosophy.
•     Education is used for the purpose of teaching people what philosophy to believe: Education is used by the philosophers for the purpose of ideological propaganda. Example- Buddha and his followers could change the religious pattern of India through the propagation of Buddhism. Karl Marx and his followers influenced the communist countries of the world.
•    Philosophy and Natural Development: Philosophy shows the direction for modification of natural development. Education cannot take place without influence. As per the modern naturalistic movement in education it is felt that the child should be kept away from adult influence and that he/she should develop entirely as his/her nature prompts. 
  
  
  

  

•   The Great philosophers turning as great educationists: In the writing of Aristotle, we find a relationship between philosophy, politics and education. Rusk pointed that many great philosophers are great educationists. Plato’s Republic considered as a classic by educationists and an ideal work by political philosophers. Most of the ‘Republic’ deals with education. Other great Western Philosophers like Spencer, John Dewey, St. Augustine, St. Thomas etc are examples are philosophers who have much to say about nature, aim and methods of education. Hence, they are great educators. The ideas and ideals of Sankara and Buddha were preached in India and many people were converted to their ideologies. Modern Indian Philosophers like Gandhi, Tagore and Sri Aurobindo are also great educators.
•   Philosophy determines the various aspects of education: Philosophy determines aim of education, curriculum, methods of teaching, nature of text books, role of teacher, evaluation, school organization and school discipline etc.