EDU 3101
The Basic Concept of Philosophy and
Philosophy of Education
Prepared by
Liew Miaw Yieng
Wilson Mok Hui Yen
Basic Concept of Philosophy
Philosophy studies the fundamental nature of existence, of
man, and of man's relationship to existence. As against the
special sciences, which deal only with particular aspects,
philosophy deals with those aspects of the universe which
pertain to everything that exists. In the realm of cognition
(mental process) , the special sciences are the trees, but
philosophy is the soil which makes the forest possible.
Cited from Ayn Rand, Philosophy, Who needs it
Meaning of Philosophy
There are 3 perspectives of philosophy:
• Etymology (Language)
• Terminology (Term)
• Practicality
Etymology: An account of the origins and the
development in meaning of a word.
Terminology: The body of terms used in a subject of
study, profession, etc.
Practicality: The aspect of a situation that involve
actual doing or experience of something rather than
theories or ideas.
Etymology (Languege)
The term philosophy originated from Greek:
philosophia
“philo” – love
“sophia” – knowledge/wisdom
Love
“sophia for
“philo”
” wisdo
m
People who love wisdom are called philosopher.
Terminology (Term)
There are different definition of philosophy from
various philosopher.
However, there are some similarities between the
definition of philosophy, and they are based on the
following elements:
Human/Man
God
Universe
Socrates “…knowledge which
(382SM-322SM) encompasses the truth…contains
metaphysics, logic, rhetoric,
ethics, economics, politics and
aesthetics.”
Plato “…only through knowledge can
(427SM-348SM) man attain the truth.”
Al-Farabi “…knowledge about the physical
(870SM-950SM) universe.”
Practicality
Philosophy means:
Efforts in thoughts (Think thoroughly)
Does not restrict by tradition
Hold features like systematic, radical and
universal.
Features of Practicality
Systematic thinking- logics and sequence.
Radical thinking- Critical thinking and solving
problems with full responsibility.
Universal thinking – Does not restrict to any
certain aspects only but encompasses the whole.
Russell(1946) opines that philosophy placed between
theology( knowledge about attributes and religion) and
science (physical science and humanities)
Theology Philosophy Science
Theology-philosophy includes speculation towards the
uncertain.
Science-philosophy uses reasoning to prove the truth.
Ergo, philosophy is said to use both speculation and
reasoning.
Philosophy- Questioning
Process
Philosophy is an idea of comprehensive
human characteristics and the meaning of
reality of where we are.
A guidance of life. The issues revolve
around the nature of knowledge, sources of
knowledge, existence of human beings,
goodness, beauty and many more.
Epistemolo
Axiology gy
Metaphysic
s Branches Logic
(Ontology) of
Philosoph
y
Metaphysics (ontology)
Metaphysics focuses on matter such as the nature of reality,
what exists in the world and it’s arrangement.
According to Oxford, philosophy refers to the branch of
philosophy concerned with the first principle of things,
including abstract concept such as being and knowing.
Metaphysics tends to solve questions that far beyond
scientific investigation .
It allow us to speculate and focus on the relationship of
consequences.
Metaphysics questions…
What is truth?
Does God exists?
Who is human?
What is life?
What is freedom of human beings?
Is the world made up of matter only?
Axiology
Derives from Greek “Value”
Questions about the good and bad, true or false, beauty
and ugliness. It embodies two aspect, ethics and
aesthetics.
Ethics- emphasises more on “what should we do” and
“what is the most appropriate action.”
Ethics focuses on moral quality and human’s behavior
because it studies the strength of individuals, certain
society and life.
The basic aspects of ethics
Meta ethics- the study about the concept of ethics
Normative ethics- research about how to define “ethics”
Applied ethics- the investigation of the practice of ethics.
Ethics tries to answer the following questions:
- What is goodness? What are the characteristics that
defines benevolence in a man?
- What defines whether an action is appropriate?
- Is morality subjective or objective?
Aesthetics- refers to the criteria of beauty in art,
mother nature and life. In other words, it depends
on personal taste and sentiments.
Aesthetics questions:
-What is beauty?
-How can we appreciate beauty in our natural
environment?
Epistemology
The theory that researches knowledge and
belief/faith.
It derives from Greek’s words
episteme – knowledge/science
logos – explanation
Focuses on the analysis and formation of
knowledge and acquisition of knowledge.
What is
knowledge?
Epistemology
How do we attempts to What are the
know that we resources to
know answer gain
something? various knowledge?
questions
What does
human
know?
Epistemology also focuses on the way to obtain
knowledge.
Among the resources for knowledge:
Revelation-knowledge is being passed down by God
himself through prophets to be taught among
common people.
Based on sensory experiences- based on our five
senses. The sensation and information that we
experience is also one wayof acquiring knowledge.
Intuition- knowledge obtained based on an
epiphany.
Expert opinions- Opinions of famous philosophers
like Socrates, Plato and etc.
Logic- humans possess wits that enables to analyse
and subsequently gain knowledge.
Scientific methods - involves the search for answers
for certain questions through the systematic
collection and analysis of data.
Logic
Explains the relationship between ideas besides validating
the answers obtained.
Attempts to verify the authenticity of knowledge acquired.
Based on two basis of logic:
Inductive logic: begins from the specific information, an
analysis is carried out and a conclusion is drawn from there.
Deductive logic: begins from the general
conclusion/knowledge, then a search for relevant examples
that verifies the general claim. A logical conclusion is drawn
from there.
Questions that “Logic” tries to
answer.
What is desirable and what is not?
How to define the nature of something?
How do we label “benevolent” or
“malevolent”?
Concept of
Philosophy of
Education
What is “ Philosophy of Education”?
It comes from two basic terms.
Education + Philosophy
The Concept of Education
originates from the Latin language,
“Educare” which means “to
nurture or uphold”
It is about knowledge, moral values
and the importance of knowledge in
the advancement of individuals and
the society.
President Obama on the Importance
of Education -
[Link]
According to Kamus Pendidikan
1979
Education is a pragmatic process that aims to
nurture the capabilities and attitude of people. It is
also a social process that enables individuals to gain
social skills and personal growth. Apart from that, it
is also being carried out in certain environments
which are selected and regulated by institutions.
Such premises are named “schools”.
Hassan Langgulung (1973)
Practice
Educatio
Indoctrinat
n e
Teaching
Yusuf Al-Qardawi (1980)
Education encompasses everything in life. This
includes spiritual, physical, behaviour and
character. Its goal is to prepare people to face the
society that is constantly encountering evil and
good, success and failure.
Western Views
Socrates (384-322B.C)
The objective of education is ethical and political.
Education allows all citizens to obtain happiness in
life. The education process trains people to abide by
laws and good manners. It also trains them to be
skillful in administrative matters and capable of
upholding their country’s sovereignty.
John Stuart Mill (1806-1873)
Education is a process that aids all individuals to live
their lives in happiness.
Winch (1996)
Education prepares individuals to face their adult lives.
Interpreting Philosophy of
Education...
Objective of Education
-The formation of culture
-Social status
-Socialisation opportunities
-Social integration
Conclusion
Philosophy of Education
A guidance, reference or views on things
related to education. Philosophy
of Education dictates what we
wish to achieve from education.
Quiz Time!!
Changes that we would like to see
Changes in syllabus
Amend certain rules and regulation
As a future teacher, what changes
would you like to see in the Education
system in M’sia?
References
Keow, C. L. (2008). Foundations of Philosophy And
Philosophy of Education . In C. L. Keow, Basic
Concept of Philosophy And Philosophy of Education
(pp. 71-83). Kuala Lumpur: Kumpulan Budiman
[Link].
