Views of Philosophers from Islamic, Western and

Eastern towards source of knowledge and

education

TOPIC 2
 Views of Islamic Philosophers
 Views of Western Philosophers
 Views of Eastern Philosophers
 Source of knowledge
 Revelation
 Intuitive
 Emperical
 Autoritative
 Rational
• Views of Islamic Philosophers

ISLAM is derived from the Arabic root "SALEMA":

peace, purity, submission and obedience.

In the religious sense, Islam means submission to the will of God and
obedience to His law.

 Everything and every phenomenon in the world, other than man is

administered totally by God-made laws i.e. they are obedient to God and
submissive to His laws i.e. they are in the State of Islam.

 Humans possess the quality of intelligence and choice, thus they are invited
to submit to the good will of God and obey His law, that is, become a
Muslim.
The principles which form the core of Islamic
Philosophy of Education are the command:

1) To know Allah

2) To discover nature’s phenomena

3) To recognize self-development including the

aspects of aqidah (faith), knowledge and
practice.
Knowledge as the path that leads to
Allah highlights two things about Islam

1) Knowledge in Islam is important for a Muslim’s spiritual growth and

development.

2) Since knowledge is acquired through the active process of going beyond

what one already knows,
 critical thinking is essential for a Muslim to grow intellectually and
spiritually.
This suggests that:

• Intellectual growth without spiritual development is aimless

wandering.

• Spiritual development without the intellectual component is

meaningless.
Islamic philosophy of education

 knowledge, belief, and practice within a human life.

 It looks deeply at value, knowledge and God.
Revealed knowledge regarding cleanliness is stated in the Quran and is
known as “sahih ilmu wahyu”.

 Acquired knowledge is “ilmu akal” is based on logical thought. Logically,

the aspect of cleanliness is important because carelessness will cause
problems in our daily life.
Islamic Philosophy of
Education stresses the
combination of revealed
knowledge and acquired
knowledge, which cannot be
separated.
KNOWLEDGE IN ISLAM
REVEAL KNOWLEDGE
 Revealed knowledge regarding
cleanliness is stated in the Quran
and is known as “sahih ilmu
wahyu”.
ACQUIRED KNOWLEDGE
 Acquired knowledge is “ilmu akal”
is based on logical thought.
Logically, the aspect of cleanliness
is important because carelessness
will cause problems in our daily
life.
 With universal values deriving from the Quran, the task of
education is to link every human behavior with the ideal
moral value.
 Therefore, Islamic education is interested in all activities
of the individual at the physical, mental, psychological,
and spiritual.
 It tries to find a balance between these forces that
comprise the human being.
 The belief that a balanced and holistic individual
is able to be produced through appreciation
towards Islamic Philosophy of Education is in
line with the Malaysian National Philosophy of
Education that is aimed at producing an
individual who is physically, emotionally,
intellectually and spiritually balanced.
This relationship is based on ethical authority with the
Quran representing the source of Islamic education.

 An Islamic vision of education concerns a HOLISTIC conception of

education which encompasses not only the
 higher intellectual faculties, but also the realization that human excellence is
inseparable from beauty and virtue (quality of being morally good).
 It should never be limited to an individualistic concept of personal
achievement, mastery and success.
 An individual must also consider that cognitive, moral and spiritual
functions are all intertwined and interdependent, and necessarily actualized
in right action.
 ISLAMIC PHILOSOPHERS

AL GHAZALI IBN RUSHD

IBNU KHALDUN
EASTERN PHILOSOPHERS

 Confucius

 Rabindranath Tagore
Confucius’ Philosophy of Education

 Concept of Education: To produce an able individual with good moral values.

 Goals of Education: To produce an able individual with good moral values.
 Goals of Education: The focus is on subjects as follows:
1) Moral Education with values such as Respect for parents, Respect for elders, Diligence, Loyalty,
Give-and-take, Wisdom, Bravery and Thrift (careful management of money, resources/materials,
etc.)
2) Six books comprising philosophy, politics, economics and culture. Music, Poetry, Literature,
History, Code of Good Behaviour.
 Role of the Teacher:

 As a skilled facilitator and disseminator of knowledge.

A teacher has to show commitment and responsibility for
tasks assigned to him.
A teacher has to know and understand his pupils in order
to maximise their potentials and abilities.
RABINDRANATH TAGORE’S
PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

Tagore's ideas for creating a system of education aimed at promoting

international co-operation and creating global citizens.
Tagore envisioned an education that was deeply rooted in one’s immediate
surroundings but connected to the cultures of the wider world, predicated upon
pleasurable learning and individualised to the personality of the child.
He felt that the curriculum should revolve organically around nature, with
flexible schedules to allow for shifts in weather, and with special attention to
natural phenomena and seasonal festivities.
Role of the Teacher:

 Tagore despised rote classroom schooling.

 The role of the teacher should be that of a
facilitator as well as catalyst to initiate pupils’
discussion and generate good and creative
ideas amongst pupils.
Western Philosophers

 Socrates
 Plato

 Aristotle
• Views of Western Philosophers

 Western society strives to find and prove "the truth“.

 Many Western philosophers are responsible for the intellectual development of
mathematics, science, politics and even art. Western philosophers attempt to understand
and examine a wide spectrum of issues, such as the universe, human social responsibilities,
consciousness or even religion.
GROUP ACTIVITY 1

 Be a detective:
Work in a team of 3 or 4. find out information about the Philosophers listed . Create a Prezi
slides and share with the class.
* TO BE SHARED IN CLASS AND UPLOADED IN THE GC