Foundations & Methods of Education 01/31/2011

Worldview

Worldview – provides a total, comprehensive way of looking at everything:

knowledge, ethics, humanity, and even the divine.

It includes:
 One’s personal view of the world.
 How we interpret the world.
 An overall perspective from which a person sees/understands the
world.
 It is largely unconscious!

It is a complete, systematic set of answers to basic philosophical

questions:
 The conditions of and source of knowledge
 The nature of morality
 The structure of society
 The existence or non existence of God
 The meaning and purpose of human existence

There are a wide range of views. That is why it is essential to establish and
understand our “Christian Worldview.”
To do this we must have a basic understanding of the major
philosophies.
Is there a difference between faith and worldview?
Faith – it’s a trust and revealed truth that transcends our senses.

When considering worldview as a Christian, we encounter a challenge:

tolerance!

“Some seek knowledge for the sake of knowledge: that is curiosity.

Others seek knowledge so that they themselves may be known: that is

vanity.

But there are still others who seek knowledge in order to serve and edify
others: that is charity.”
- Bernard Clairvaux
Foundations & Methods of Education 01/31/2011
Philosophy

Philosophy – the love of wisdom

4 Divisions of Philosophy (NOT PHILOSOPHY):

 Metaphysics
 Epistemology – how you know what you know
 Axiology – ethics and beauty
 Logic

Philosophy is all about questions.

Metaphysics – literally means “after physics” or “after the physical”

Epistemology – investigating the origin and nature of knowledge
 Empiricism – we can only know what can be experienced
 Rationalist – look at what we can arrive at based upon our
reasoning skills
 Skeptic – knowledge is impossible or at least tentative
 Christian – knowlge is a product of the mind and a response to both
the general and special revelation of god
Axiology – deals with ethics and beauty
Logic -
4 major philosophies in the world:
Realism
Idealism
Pragmatism
Existentialism

Verisimilitude – the appearance of truth

Realism – Background

Aristotle (384-322) first to “develop” realism

Stresses objective knowledge and values

Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Thomism or theistic realism

Basic idea of realism:

The world is real and not man made
The human mind can know about the real world
This info is the most reliable guide for our behavior
 Realism says about:
Metaphysics – a material world exists which is independent of and
external to the mind. All objects are composed of matter.

Epistemology – humans can know these objects through senses and

reasons.

Curriculum should be separate and organized by subject

Teachers are subject-area experts.

Axiology –
 Behavior should be rational
 Values are created by human beings
 Art/Literature should depict subjects as they appear in everyday
life, with minimal embellishment or interpretation

Idealism – background
 Started with Plato (Allegory of the cave)
 Modern: Froebel, Emerson & Thoreau
 Asian religions: Buddhism and Hinduism

Idealism say about:

 Metaphysics –
o Only the mental or spiritual is ultimate reality
 o The mental world of ideas is permanent, regular and orderly

 Epistemology –
o Ideas are latent, but not evident
o Teachers must bring to one’s consciousness these ideas

 Axiology –
o Because universe is eternal, values must be unchanging
timeless
o Key educational issues become: culture, heritage, tradition,
“the classics”, models

Pragmatism - Background

Developed in the United States

John Dewey

Heavily influenced by Darwin’s Evolution

Emphasis was on what worked or produced results

Rather than a focus on the body of knowledge, Pragmatism places stress on

problem solving
 Truth is always changing

 Metaphysics –
o Rejects dualistic view of world
o Believes there is no unchanging or eternal truths

 Epistemology –
o Based on observable experiences
o Frequent use of Scientific method

 Axiology –
o Truth is a tentative assertion based on human experience
o Highly situational
o Uses the term “reconstruct”

Existentialism – background
Jean–Paul Sartre (1905–1980)
World is devoid of meaning – we create it
Kierkegaard (1813–1856)
In our nothingness, we are complete before God

Existentialism says about:

Metaphysics – this is all there is. Therefore define how you wish

Epistemology - the individual simple chooses the knowledge they

wish to possess

Axiology -
01/31/2011