PHILOSOPHY MAKES WONDERS

The word philosophy has come from the Greek language. The word 'Philia' means Love and the word 'Sophia' means Wisdom. So in together these words become 'Philosophy' which means the 'Love for the Wisdom'.

The philosophy of education may be defined as the application of the fundamental principles of life towards the work of education. Therefore the education can be referred to as the applied philosophy. The philosophy is mainly used to find answers to the ultimate questions. like "What is the meaning of life?" or "Is there a God above?" as such.

Through studying philosophy and studying the work of past philosophers, one can understand many questions related to many fields. In studying philosophy Science plays a major role. Science is used to prove philosophical hypotheses.

Science or Philosophy?

Science is concerned with natural phenomena, while philosophy attempts to understand the nature of the universe, Science explains how it should be. By using observations and tests one could predict how matter could go in many ways.

Branches of Philosophy

To understand the foundations of educational philosophies, it’s necessary to first examine philosophy’s four main branches. Understanding educational philosophy will contribute to understanding how these foundations have given rise to what is commonly practiced and believed in the classroom today. The four main branches of philosophy are metaphysics, epistemology, axiology, and logic.

Metaphysics

Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that considers the physical universe and the nature of ultimate reality. It asks questions like, What is real? What is the origin of the world? What is beyond the stars? Your consideration of reality as an external creation or an internal construct can influence your metaphysical beliefs and perspectives and your teaching. Regardless of your definition of reality, the exploration and categorization of the physical universe form the foundation of several school subjects.

Epistemology

Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that considers how people come to learn what they know.

Derived from the Greek word episteme, meaning knowledge or understanding, epistemology refers to the nature and origin of knowledge and truth. Epistemology proposes that there are four main bases of knowledge: divine revelation, experience, logic and reason, and intuition. These influence how teaching, learning, and understanding come about in the classroom.

Axiology

Axiology is the branch of philosophy that considers the study of principles and values. These values are divided into two main kinds. They are 'Ethics' and 'Aesthetics'. Ethics is the questioning of morals and personal values. Aesthetics is the examination of what is beautiful, enjoyable, or tasteful. In axiology, education is more than just about knowledge but also the quality of life.

Logic

Logic is the branch of philosophy that seeks to organize reasoning. Students of logic learn how to think in a structurally sound manner. Logic has two types: deductive and inductive reasoning. Deductive reasoning involves examining a general case, deducing a general set of rules or principles, and then applying these rules to specific cases. Inductive reasoning involves taking specific examples and considering the general principles, rules, or cases that caused them.

What is the philosophy of life?

All philosophies on the meaning of life seem to fall into one of the four groups:

• life has an objective meaning;
• life has a subjective meaning;
• life has no meaning;
• life has a supernatural/unexplainable meaning. The philosophies of the East and West also follow a pattern: Easterners think in terms of “we”, the community, while Westerners think in terms of “I”, the individual.

Then there is a question of what is a philosophy. Ideologies and religions are often mistaken for philosophies and vice versa. Take Daoism, for example, Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines it as a philosophy. But the Cambridge Dictionary defines it as a religion. All belief systems that are definitely religions fall under “theism” in this infographic.

We follow the history of philosophy chronologically. Roughly, all philosophies follow this pattern: first, people appeal to God and supernatural forces, then they look for meaning within the community, later they look at the individual person, and finally, they look at humanity as a whole. We start with Natural Pantheism, humanity’s first attempt to explain its existence.