PHILOSOPHY AND EDUCATION IN MALAYSIA

BASIC CONCEPTS OF PHILOSOPHY

&

PHILOSOPHY OF

PREPARED BY:
EDUCATION
Nur Syahirah Binti Mohd
Saibon
Nur Affiqah Binti Ahmad
Subian
Pismp Tesl Jan 2013

Etymology
What is
Philosophy ?

Terminology

Practicality

Etymology (Language)
Philosophy comes from the Greek word, philosophia
philo means love and sophia means love for knowledge
and wisdom.
Therefore, those who have a love for knowledge are known
as philosophers.

Terminology
Different philosophers have different definitions of philosophy
Nevertheless, all these different meanings of philosophy consist
some common elements such as man, God and universe.
For example:
Socrates (382 SM-322 SM) :
a knowledge which encompasses truthcontains
metaphysics, logic, rhetoric, ethics, economics, politics
and aesthetics.
Plato (427 SM-348 SM) :
only through knowledge can man attain real truth.
Al-Farabi (870 SM-950 SM) :
.knowledge about the physical universe.

Practicality
From this angle, philosophy means thinking thoroughly, free from the bonds
of radition and having the following characteristics:
Characteristics

Example

Thinking
systematically
means thinking
logically and
sequentially

If the sky is overcast, it is very likely that it will

rain. If that is so, then, it is not advisable to hang
out the clothes. When it rains, there will be
nobody to take the clothes in.

Thinking rationally
means thinking to the
finest detail and
solving the problem
with full responsibility

A Mathematics teacher discovers that there is a

student in his class who often skips lesson. He not
only refers this student to the discipline teacher,
but he takes the trouble to find out from the
student himself the reasons for his behaviour. He
even visit the students home to find out the exact
condition of his family and surroundings.

Thinking universally The street light in front of the house has not been
means not being
working for the past week. Before reporting to the
confined to several
relevant authorities, perhaps it would be a good

Metaphysics
(Ontology)
Branche
s of
Philosop
hy

Axiology
Epistemology
Logic

Metaphysics (Ontology)
Metaphysics is .distant from the physical world and
trespassing beyond the material things in life.
Metaphysics attempts to answers which go beyond scientific
investigation.
Metaphysics poses the following questions:
What is truth?
Does God exists?

- What is mankind?
- What is life?

Axiology
Comes from Greek word which means value
Aspects
Ethics
-what is goodness?
-what determines a good
action?

Explanation
- Emphasizes what should we do and what
is the best thing to do
- Focuses on the moral and behaviour of
mankind because it investigates the
goodness of a person, society and life.
- It can be categorised into three basic types:
1. Meta ethics = study about the concept of
ethics
2. Normative ethics = study about how to
determine ethical values
3. Applied ethics = study about the
application of ethical values.

Aesthetics
-What is beauty?
-How can we appreciate

- Refers to the criteria for beauty in the arts,

environment and life
- Focuses more on taste and sentiments

Epistemology
It comes from the Greek word episteme which means
knowledge or science and logos which means explanation.
It focuses on the analysis and generation of knowledge and the
pursuit of knowledge
Epistemology attempts to answer the following questions:
What is knowledge?
What are the sources of knowledge?
How do we know that we know something?

Epistemology
Some of the sources of knowledge include the list below:
Sources of
knowledge

Explanation

Revelation

Knowledge from God through chosen messengers to be

disseminated to mankind

Based on our
sensory
experiences

What we see, hear, feel, touch and smell will tell us

something about the world around us. However, such
ways of knowing may be inaccurate. For instance, the
pool of water we see on the road on a hot day may
actually turn out to be mirage.

Intuition

Knowledge obtain through a sudden surge of

unconscious ideas. For example, a mother who is able
to sense whether her son attended religious classes
the minute he steps into the house

Expert opinion For example, opinions of famous philosophers like

based on the
Socrates, Plato, and Dewey
knowledge and
skills possessed.
Logic

We all have a mind that enables us to reason and thus

obtain knowledge

Logic
It explains the relationship between ideas besides giving
reasons for the proposed answer.
It also attempts to differentiate between what is valid and what is
confusing.
There are two types of logic:
Inductive logic

Starts with specific details,

followed by reasoning and general
conclusions.

Deductive logic

Starts from general conclusions,

then seeking relevant examples to
explain these conclusions before
generating logical details.

Concept of Philosophy of Education

Definition of Education according to
Western, Eastern and Islamic
Educationist
Western Education

Friedrich Froebel

John Milton

The purpose of
education is to live an
honest, pure and
respectful life.

A complete education
enables a man to act in
a just and considerate
manner at all times
and in all places.

Eastern Educationist
Confucius

Rabidrananth Tagore

Education nurtures
good behaviour in man
through these practices :
good manners,
consideration, respect for
our elders, love of those
younger than us as well
as loyalty to and love for
King and country.

The purpose of
education is to produce
good thinkers and
achievers in all aspects
of life, inclusive of the
physical, intellectual,
moral and spiritual.

Islamic Educationist
Al- Ghazali

Mohd Qath

Education
encompasses the
intellect and physical
domains, as well as
character formation
characterized by bravery
and respect for others.

Education is a process
which produces a holistic
and balanced individual.
It a lso aims to develop
fully the intellectual,
physical, emotional and
spiritual potentials of the
individual.

Concept of Philosophy of Education

Socialization process gives students
opportunities to interact with one another in order
to help them become fully- functioning adults in
the future.
Cultural development creates and promotes
culture
Social integration we become more united as a
result of the teaching of cultural values and
norms. This is very important function especially
in a multi- cultural society like ours.
Social placement school achievement is
evaluated based on academic performance.

References
Choong Lean Keow. (2011). Philosophy and
Education In Malaysia. Shah Alam, Selangor:
Kumpulan Budiman Sdn.Bhd