Educational Philosophy

Ronald Enero Almagro

Master of Education in Mathematics 1
Saint Mary’s College of Tagum Incorporated
Graduate Studies
           An Introduction to Philosophy of Education, 4th Edition in this book talks about the
philosophy of education. What is the Philosophy of education? The branch of philosophy that
addresses philosophical questions concerning the nature, aims, and problems of education. As a
branch of practical philosophy, its practitioners look both inward to the parent discipline of
philosophy and outward to educational practice, as well as to developmental psychology,
cognitive science more generally, sociology, and other relevant disciplines.
           The most basic problem of the philosophy of education is that concerning aims: what are
the proper aims and guiding ideals of education? A related question concerns evaluation: what
are the appropriate criteria for evaluating educational efforts, institutions, practices, and
products? Other important problems involve the authority of the state and of teachers, and the
rights of students and parents; the character of purported educational ideals such as critical
thinking, and of purportedly undesirable phenomena such as indoctrination; the best way to
understand and conduct moral education; a range of questions concerning teaching, learning, and
curriculum; and many others. All these and more are addressed in the essays that follow.
           This introductory text, now in its fourth edition, is a classic in its field. It shows, first and
foremost, the importance of philosophy in the educational debate and as a background to any
practical activity such as teaching. What is involved in the idea of educating a person or the idea
of educational success? What are the criteria for establishing the optimum balance between
formal and informal teaching techniques? How trustworthy is educational research? In addition
to these questions, which strike to the heart of the rationale for the educative process as a whole,
the authors explore such concepts as culture, creativity, autonomy, indoctrination, needs,
interests, and learning by discovery.
           In this new updated edition, the authors draw on the latest research in genetics to argue
that education is uniquely human and is essentially what develops us as humans. Resisting
modern tendencies to equate knowledge with the opinion, and value judgments with taste, this
book leads the reader into the business of philosophizing and champions the cause of reason in
education.
           All of these chapters exhibit both the deep and genuinely philosophical character of
philosophical questions concerning education, and the benefits to be gained by sustained
attention, by students and philosophers alike, to those questions. Most of them are written by
distinguished general philosophers; they reflect both a sophisticated mastery of the core areas of
philosophy (to which these authors have made independent important contributions) and a deep
grasp of the significance of philosophical questions concerning education. All of them exemplify
the benefits to be derived from a fruitful interaction between the philosophy of education and the
parent discipline.
           The time is right for the philosophy of education to regain its rightful place in the world of
general philosophy. And it is for this reason that I am especially pleased to have been involved in
the present project. Happily, there have been some positive developments on this score in recent
years, as well as some honorable exceptions to the general neglect of philosophy of education in
recent decades by the community of general philosophers. I hope that the volume will further
contribute to the restoration of the philosophy of education to its rightful place in the world of
general philosophy, by playing some role in furthering the recent rekindling of interest among
general philosophers in the philosophy of education: in their taking seriously philosophical
problems concerning education, and inputting the latter on their philosophical agendas.
In conclusion, all educational activities, from classroom practice to curriculum decisions
to the setting of policies at the school, district, state, and federal levels, inevitably rest upon
philosophical assumptions, claims, and positions. Consequently, thoughtful and defensible
educational practice depends upon philosophical awareness and understanding. To that extent,
the philosophy of education is essential to the proper guidance of educational practice.
Knowledge of the philosophy of education would benefit not only teachers, administrators, and
policymakers at all levels but also students, parents, and citizens generally. Societies that value
education and desire that it be conducted in a thoughtful and informed way to ignore the
philosophy of education at their peril. Its relevance, reach, and potential impact makes it perhaps
the most fundamental and wide-ranging area of applied philosophy.