Philosophy in a Technical or Professional Sense

In the Professional or technical sense, philosophy is understood as an academic

discipline that can be studied. This discipline is characterized by logical, consistence
and systematic thinking which usually results into conclusions that are sound, coherent
and consistent in all aspects. According to Garforth (1971:9) “to philosophize is to
engage in a strenuous activity of thought and to pursue it with no other aim other than
to satisfy the importunate questioning of human mind.” It is evident from the above
assertion that philosophy is characterized by the absolute use of logical reasoning in
examining evidence either in favor or against any claim.
For example killing human beings is generally perceived as a bad act, however
philosophically this may not be always the case. For instance, killing a serial killer
maybe justifiable as doing so, may save the lives of many who would have been killed
by the same serial killer.
Finally Philosophy is perceived to possess three key characteristics: Firstly it
considers all conclusions as tentative and therefore not immune to further future
correction by new evidence. Secondly, it refuses to take anything for granted and
opens any conclusion that may be reached to further investigations. Above all
Philosophy is characterized by logical reasoning.

The meaning of Education

Human life is made of two major aspects, the biological and the sociological. While the
biological aspect is maintained and transmitted basically by nutrition and reproduction
on one hand, the social aspect of human life on the other hand is maintained and
transmitted by education. One of the major distinctions between man and the other
lower animals is grounded in man’s educate-able ability. Man is said to be an intelligent
being; he is active, energetic and even original as he always desires to go ahead. This
list of human achievements has been facilitated through a process called education.
It is education that promotes man’s intelligence, it is education that makes man
industrious and ensures his progress. But what then is education? This has been a
fundamental philosophical question from the time of Socrates and Plato and is still a
fundamental philosophical question amongst educationist up to the present.

The Original meaning of Education

Etymologically the word ‘Education’ is derived from two Latin words, ‘educare and
educere.’ The term ‘educare’ means ‘to bring up’ ‘to guide’ or ‘to direct’. In line with
this interpretation, education is defined as a process of bringing up children by adult
members of the family. Therefore, the prime concern is to guide and direct the
undeveloped capacities, attitudes, interests, desires and needs of the younger people
into the most desirable outcomes. So education can be seen as a means of providing
direction.
Education is Direction
Educating a child means directing the child properly (Taneja, 2008:9). Here education
is concerned with directing the undeveloped capacities, attitudes, interests, urges and
needs of young people into the most desirable channels. Children have inborn instincts
that need to be properly guided in order for the children to be socially acceptable. For
example children have many desires, the desire to play, to ask questions, to explore
the world and to receive attention from their elders. All these desires have not only to
be satisfied but satisfied appropriately through education. Hence, it is a duty of the
teacher to see that these active tendencies are not dispersed aimlessly. This is what
‘bringing up’ and ‘directing’ means in the context of education. Educative process is
nothing but guiding and directing the children to have worthy interests in the various
phases of life. In this way education creates an environment that stimulates the
development of desirable attributes and social personality of individuals. Education
directs children to love the worthy objects and hate the evil tendencies of man. It gives
both insight of what is best and also the firmness mind that always choose the best.
When education is viewed as a means of providing direction, it includes ‘guidance and
control’ Guidance provides a proper stimulus for arousing correct responses in the
child; while control checks the anti-social impulses of the child such as selfish
tendencies. It has been argued that ‘True education becomes wise direction when the
capacities, abilities, needs and aptitudes of children are taken into consideration’
(Taneja, 2008:7). It is therefore essential for the teacher to know the goal which the
child is required to reach for them to direct correctly; otherwise, they risk misdirecting.

There are two types of directing, the personal way of directing also known as
the direct way and also the impersonal way also called indirect directing.
Direct or the Personal way of Directing
This takes a form of indoctrination such giving sermons on what you want the children
to become. This way of directing seems to be only essential when the consequences
of a given impulsive behavior are not known. It is for this reason why education for the
young children can be in form of indoctrination, which is a process of implanting
already-made set of unexamined concepts in one’s mind.

Indirect or the Impersonal way of Directing

This is done by keeping your own environment as a teacher in the way you want the
children to become. Then the children will unconsciously assimilate the direction that
you want them to be.

‘Educere’ on the other hand means ‘to draw out,’ ‘to lead out,’ ‘to raise up,’ or ‘to rear
a child. In this vein education is seen as a slow and skillful process of extracting the
potentialities in individuals. This explanation presumes that all knowledge is inherent
in children and educator should design appropriate methods that can tap their brains
and the knowledge will automatically flow. It can, then be argued that when education
works upon a noble mind it draws out to view every latent virtue and perfection. Taneja
(2008) supports this view by quoting Mahatma Gandhi’s words who said “education is
an all round drawing out of the best in the child’s body, mind and spirit.” However, it
should be noted that children are not like artesian wells where we put funnels and
water gushes out but they are like banks where something must be put before we draw
out. Unless knowledge and experience is given to the children through education, we
cannot draw out the best out of them. On the basis of this second philosophical
interpretation of education a number further definitions of education have been
developed.
Education is a process of Interaction
Here education is seen as a process of interaction between the guardians and
seekers of knowledge. It is also an interaction between those who possess the ideas
and skills and those who are seeking to acquire and develop such ideas and skills.
Therefore it appears that in general, education means both the acquisition of
knowledge and experience and also the development of habits, attitudes and skills
which help a person having them to lead a full and worthwhile life. Etymologically,
however, this explanation seems to further suggest that there are many other
meanings of education that can be subjected to some philosophical analysis.

Education is an Attempt to Develop Man

Under this perception, education is seen as an attempt by adult members to shape the
development of the new generation in accordance with society’s own ideals of life.
This view was shared with Weltone James (Encyclopedia Britannica, vol. viii, p951)
when he said that “education is an effort to secure for every one the conditions to
completely develop.” It is the development of the physical, mental and moral capacities
which enables individuals to control their environment and fulfill their possibilities. In
the same vein Bannerji (1931:279) viewed education as the “development of the power
of adaptation to an ever changing social environment (Teaching, VoL III, No. 4, June
1931).

Education as an Act of Teaching

When education is perceived as an act of teaching, it is seen as a process of training
children for fulfilling their responsibilities of adult life. At this perception education
develops the power of thinking and reasoning in those who acquire it in order for them
to rise to the occasion whenever faced with pressing problems and opportunities of
life. Through education individuals are trained to discriminate between good and evil,
to do the right thing in a right manner at the right time. Education in this regard is also
seen as a means of securing desired inner attitudes, mental and emotional
dispositions.
Education is Integrated Growth.
Man undergoes physical, emotional and mental changes and transformation. The
transformation is conditioned by both training and environment and changes man from
his original nature to a different shape. Education as an integrated growth involves the
growth of the physical strength and endurance; this justifies the inclusion of disciplines
like Physical Education in the school curriculum. The growth should include the
sharpening of the pupil’s intellect by giving them knowledge about various recognized
branches of instructions. It involves giving the learners the realization of moral and
spiritual values and socialize them to the extent of making them acceptable and
contributory citizens of the nation.
Education is a continuous Re-organization and Integration of Activities and
Experiences
Under this perception education is viewed as a growth that goes on constantly and
throughout life up to the time of death. The role of a school in a broader context is to
organize this growth which is the continuance of education and also to train people to
go on learning as long as they live. In this context education is both conservative and
progressive. It conserves the worthwhile culture of the past and transmits it to the new
generation and at the same time creates conditions which insure the progress for
mankind. It is the education which helps every generation to meet with new situations,
in this way education is seen as a means of adaption. Education in this perspective is
seen as the formation of the mind through selecting and coordinating abilities, and in
this way enables its recipients to utilization the subject matter in order to benefit from
the social environment.

Education is a Process of Emancipation

Here education is seen as an instrument of emancipation from ignorance. It is
education that makes people to be altruistic and social, so in this regard, education
emancipates people who acquire it from the bondage of the dust and give them the
wealth of inner life and love.

Education is Influence
Education is said to be an influence of the environment both in the wider and in the
narrower sense of the term. What this seem to suggest is that education enables
people to develop capacities that enable them to control the environment, adjust to it;
realize the possibilities and fulfill them in a socially desirable manner.

Education as an influence in a wider sense

In a wider meaning education include every influence in life and these influences are
facilitated by various factors of socialization [the church, the form of government; the
media; friendships and the school etc]. It is in this regard that there is a claim that “It
is really life that educates” (Raymont T, Modern Education, Longmans Green & Co,
p22). In this wider context of the term Education can also be seen as the transmission
of life, by the living to the living. John Stuart Mill (a Utilitarian) argued that “What so
ever we do for ourselves and whatever is done for us by others that bringing us nearer
to the perfection of our nature should be viewed as education.”

Informal agencies of education play a significant role in facilitating education as an

influence in a wider sense. For example in shaping the personality of a child, the
household facilitates the modeling of behavior and attitudes towards different
institutions in society. While the church sets up the standards of higher values of life.
Institutions such as the government and the media have great potentiality of education,
provided their aims are in conformity with the truths of life. It is for this reason that
Totalitarian governments extended their control over both formal and informal
educational agencies in order to control the minds of the people.
Education in the narrower sense
In the narrower meaning, education consists of “specific influences, consciously
designed in a school to bring in the development and the growth of the child. As Dewey
John argued that ‘the school represents formal education as it imparts education
directly and systematically.” [Dewey John, Democracy and Education, P9]. He uses
the term school to refer to a consciously designed institution whose machinery of
education from earliest level at Kindergarten up to the University.
It is in this context that Taneja, (2008:16) defined education as the “deliberate and
systematic influence exerted by the mature person upon the immature, through
instruction, discipline and harmonious development of Physical, intellectual aesthetic,
social and spiritual power of the human beings.” Lastly education can be seen as a
process whereby human kind work out the fruition of his inner nature; It is a means
through which man realizes his destination, reaching his goal of largest power, toy and
service, thus enabling him to develop into the fullest of his stature.
Having looked at the meaning of both philosophy and education, it is necessary to
make an evaluation of your earlier perception of philosophy by doing learning activity
3 before you proceed and examine what philosophy of education is.