The Theory of Pansophism by John Amos Comenius

John Amos Comenius locally known in Czech Republic as Jan Amos Komenský was
a scholar on pedagogical, spiritual, and social reform and was regarded as the “Father of
Modern Education”. He was born in Nivnice, Moravia (now part of Czech Republic) on
March 28, 1592, and became a minister in the Unity of Brethren church, a Protestant
sect. Political and religious persecution during the Thirty Years' War drove him from his
homeland, and despite his hopes for repatriation, he never returned. Believing that one
day Protestants would eventually win in the war, he began to prepare for the possibility
of rebuilding the society through a reformed educational system. He found refuge in
Poland, England, Prussia, Hungary, and the Netherlands as a scholar and bishop of his
church until his death in Amsterdam on November 14, 1670.

According to Comenius, Pansophism is a system of education for all people to be

made knowledgeable about the world, able to judge its events for themselves, and able
otherwise to generate and sustain the conditions of progress. Also, it advocated the
unification of knowledge combined with social reform to make it acceptable to all
people. He outlined that knowledge can be gain through the idea that learning is
natural, practical, through senses, hands-on & by easy stages. This developmental stage
spans in every six years of a human life. Part of this is to support the children’s native
language in teaching them in the early stages. Furthermore, pansophism forms the
foundation for audiovisual aids, instruction and tests in schools. It sets the standards for
literacy and for the use of testing that allows the student to supply information and
revise his performance as the experience increases his knowledge or sharpens his skills.
 Comenius’ philosophy of pansophism as explained was the idea of unified
systematic knowledge. Being a student of Cebu Normal University whose flagship
program is education and being a student in Bachelor of Public Administration, it is
expected that soon I will become a public servant or an educator; I can apply the
philosophy through following the process and the approach of pansophism. I will work
hard enough to constantly improve my knowledge. W all know that no one suddenly
becomes all-knowing; each of us starts from a scratch and if one is to leap immediately
to the highest step then they might be in a difficult situation. Inshallah or if God permits,
I might serve a youth organization or the Barangay, the City, or the national offices. I
would be learning from bottom all the way to top on how to run a government and what
kind of leadership suit best. If one becomes an educator, I would apply the approach of
pansophism in educating myself and the students.
Reference:

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Small, M. L. (1990, February 28). The Pansophism of John Amos Comenius (1592-
1670) as the Foundation of Educational Technology and the Source of
Constructive Standards for the Evaluation of Computerized Instruction and Tests.
Retrieved October 7, 2019, from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED325079.

Jones, A. (2016, October 3). John Comenius Theoretical Perspective. Retrieved

October 7, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNakjx8OuE8.

Swenson, W. (2019, June 19). Forum 4: Johann Amos Comenius' Pansophy.

Retrieved October 7, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=5Q8Kpj0aRGo&t =197s