QUESTION 1

What is Philosophy of Education?

Philosophy and Education are closely intertwined, a giving and taking relationship.
Before stating what philosophy of education is, I would like to succinctly treat the terms
individually.
Etymologically, the term Philosophy comes from two Greek words: “Philo” meaning
“Love” and “Sophia” meaning “Wisdom”. Thus, philosophy literarily denotes “Love of
Wisdom”.
In an attempt to explain the meaning of philosophy, many scholars have defined it differently.
Here are some of the definitions:
 Some regard philosophy as a way of asking many questions in order to arrive at sound,
coherent and consistent conclusions.
 Philosophy is also seen as the sustained, systematic, reflective thinking about concepts
and beliefs in any subject.
 In the popular perspective, philosophy is used to connote a person’s attitude to life so as
to describe the way(s) an individual responds to circumstances, events, beliefs, issues,
etc.
 In the ordinary language, philosophy refers to a set of guidelines, precepts, attitude and
motto of various organisations, politicians, tribe, group of people in a particular society,
or country. People talk of their philosophy of life.
 The professional or technical world use the word philosophy to refer to an academic
discipline offered and taught in various colleges and universities. This is why we have the
name “Philosophy of Education.”
 Philosophy is an investigation of the first principle of human knowledge. It is the careful,
critical and systematic intellectual exercise in the formulation of beliefs.
Education, on the other hand, is a broad and difficult concept to define. Many educationists
have attempted to define it but have not succeeded in proffering a single clear-cut definition. But
for the sake of this work, the following will suffice.
The word education is derived from the Latin word “educare” which means to bring up.
Another Latin word “educere” means to bring forth. Therefore, education is to bring forth as well
as bring up.
 Daramola and Jekayinfa explain the word “educate” to mean “to lead out” This explanation
presumes that is the process of acting in order to lead out and manifest fully the potentialities of
each personality. Education, in short, must be holistic and comprehensive taking into
consideration the transmission of basic values to enable the individual understands his or her
obligation towards him or herself and to the society of which he or she is a member.
Education in the broad sense, therefore, can be viewed as a process that goes on as long as
we are alive. It aims at stimulating the mind and feelings; directing mental energies towards
general and specific goals of development and refine of one’s faculties.
When people talk of education in the narrow sense, they only take into consideration what
happen in the formal school system that each society has set up specifically for the purpose.
At this juncture, one can define Philosophy of Education as the activity of clarifying terms,
thought, ideas and principles that guide educational policy and practices everywhere as well as
the problems that inhibit it. It is a careful and detailed examination of the meaning and purpose
of education and the activities that are carried out to promote the values embraced in principles.

Definition of Pure Philosophy

Philosophy may be divided on the basis of whether it is “pure” or “empirical.” Pure philosophy
deals only with a priori concepts; concepts that occur to us when we think about things in our
minds, “prior” to and independent of any experience of how things happen in the world. Logic is
pure philosophy as it relates to the formal procedures of thinking. Metaphysics is pure
philosophy as it applies to our efforts to understand the world. Pure or speculative philosophy
tries to understand how all the different things that have been discovered form a meaningful
totality when viewed together. It is a search for order, and tries to take a holistic search for
knowledge.

Definition of Applied Philosophy

This is the application of philosophical principles and concepts to the practical affairs of the
human condition. Philosophy of Education is an example of applied philosophy because
philosophical principles and concepts are being employed in the practical matters of education.
Discussion on African Philosophy of Education
African philosophy of education offers a discourse to address the continent’s many problems
especially those caused by the centuries old subjugation of Africa to colonial exploitation,
ranging from slavery to the creation of socio-economic structures during the colonial era which
were designed to achieve maximum extraction and exportation of raw materials, wreaked serious
damage that remain palpable years after the demise of colonial rule, and those related to famine,
hunger, poverty, abuse, violence, exclusion of the other, and the loss of moral values. African
Philosophy of Education provides the forum to critically think on these issues, and to find
solutions to them.
The attempt to establish a distinctively African philosophy of education within the discipline of
education has, therefore, brought into question what it means to be ‘an African’, and what it
means to be ‘a philosopher’ in an African context. The struggle for African authentic
development is about an epistemological revolution and struggle for knowledge production that
satisfies the demands for cultural identity.
Africa has always had its own distinctive philosophy of Education before the infiltration of
Islamic and Western ideas. Its focus was on imitation, learning by doing and communalism in
education. In Africa, education was seen as the responsibility of the entire community
(UBUNTU), where respect and care for elders (epistemic authorities) were taught; the character
of the young was molded, and they were trained to be responsible and useful members in the
community they belong.
In a nutshell, African Philosophy of Education establishes that social interaction has a vital role
in the cognitive development process of an individual. In other words, human development
results from a dynamic interaction between individuals and society. Through this interaction,
individuals can learn gradually and continuously from the environment, parents, teachers, peers,
friends, etc. This learning, however, can vary from one culture to the next. It's important to note
the dynamic nature of this interaction. Society does not just impact people; people also affect
their society.