Overview

Why do we have schools? Is it to make good workers? Good citizens? Or happy humans? The Philosophy of Education asks the big questions. If you don’t know the why, the how doesn’t matter.

Core Idea

The core idea is Purpose. Every educational system is built on a philosophy, even if it’s hidden.

  • Sparta: Purpose = Produce soldiers.
  • Athens: Purpose = Produce thinkers.
  • USA: Purpose = Produce… workers? Voters? Consumers? We are confused.

Formal Definition

The branch of applied philosophy that investigates the nature of education as well as its aims and problems. Key Figures: Plato, Rousseau, Dewey.

Intuition

  • The Garden vs. The Factory:
    • Rousseau (Naturalism): The child is a seed. Let it grow wild and free.
    • Locke (Tabula Rasa): The child is a blank slate. Write knowledge upon it.

Examples

  • Perennialism: The goal is to teach the “Great Books” (Plato, Shakespeare) because truth is eternal. (St. John’s College).
  • Progressivism (Dewey): The goal is to teach students how to live in a democracy. Education is life itself, not preparation for life.
  • Essentialism: The goal is to teach the basics (Reading, Writing, Math) efficiently.

Common Misconceptions

  • It’s useless theory: Every time a teacher decides whether to give a test or do a project, they are making a philosophical decision about what matters.
  • Epistemology: How do we know what we know? (If knowledge is objective facts, we lecture. If knowledge is subjective construction, we discuss).
  • Ethics: Is it ethical to force a child to learn something they hate?

Applications

  • Curriculum Design: Deciding what to teach. Why do we teach Calculus but not Cooking? That’s a philosophical choice about what is “important.”

Criticism / Limitations

  • Too Abstract: Philosophers argue about “The Good Life” while teachers are trying to get 30 kids to sit down.

Further Reading

  • Dewey, John. Democracy and Education.
  • Plato. The Republic.