Question- “All educational questions are ultimately the questions of Philosophy”. Discuss by giving examples from Indian background.

Answer -

Philosophy and Education are inter-related and interdependent. Both go hand in hand with each other. They are means to one another and ends, they are process and product. Philosophy is the foundation out of which comes the objectives of education.

According to Ross, “Philosophy and education are like the two sides of the same coin; the one is implied by the other; the former is the contemplative side of life, while the latter is the active side.”

According to John Dewey, “Education is the theory of education in its most general phase,” ... “Education is a laboratory, in which philosophical distinctions, become concrete and are tested.”

According to Spencer, “True education is practicable only to true philosophies.”

According to Gentile, “Education without philosophy would mean a failure to understand the precise nature of education.”

According to Connor, “Theory (Philosophy) directs practice (Education) and practice directs theory.”

Philosophy determines the goals towards which education has to go. Thus philosophy determines wisdom, education transmits wisdom from one generation to the other.

Philosophy deals with the ends and education is the means to achieve those ends. Philosophy fixes up values, suggests ideal and lays down the principles. Education, in its process and through its means, tries to achieve them. Herbert says: “Education has no time to make holiday till all the philosophical questions are once for all cleared up.”

Philosophy and education are related like flower and fragrance, skeleton, or flesh and blood. They are two flowers of one stem, and two sides of a coin. The former is the contemplative side, while the latter is the active side of the coin. Philosophical knowledge has a fundamental role in clarifying questions of education. This will be quite clear from the following points:

1. Education is Philosophy in Action - We know that philosophy provides the purpose or the aim and education makes it practical. Their relationship is just like the relationship between a lame man and a blind man. The lame man is able to see but unable to walk and the blind man is able to walk but unable to see. In order to reach the destination the blind and the lame man should co-operate with each other. So also our philosophy and education. Philosophy will show the direction and education will proceed in that direction. Education without philosophy is blind and philosophy without education is invalid or lame. Thus education is the dynamic side of philosophy. We can also say that education is philosophy in action.

2. Educational Philosophy is an Applied Philosophy - An educator does not pursue knowledge for his own sake. His activities lie within the sphere of the practical sciences, and he looks to philosophy to provide him with principles so that he can place his work on a sound basis. In practical experience a philosopher must think his principles before applying them to human life. It is equally true that the purpose of the educator in studying philosophy is to concentrate not so much on theoretical principles as upon their significance for life in general and for education in particular. Most of the educators would be prepared to regard the study of education as a branch of applied philosophy.

3. Education is used for the Purpose of Teaching People what Philosophy is to Believe - A philosopher is a lover of or seeker after wisdom. Wisdom is regarded by some as knowledge for the conduct of life and philosophy is accepted as a way of life. It helps us to live the best kind of life. A philosopher, being a constant seeker after wisdom, should not withdraw himself entirely from reality and live in “an ivory tower.” He should feel it his sacred duty to be of service to his fellow-men and propagate his own philosophy of life to convert others to his beliefs. Only after that he becomes a true philosopher. After realising the truth he should use education for teaching people what to believe—to believe in Monism, in Dualism or in Pluralism or to believe in Communism, in Capitalism in Democracy or in Nationalism etc. Education thus is used by the philosophers for the purpose of ideological propagation. One of the outstanding examples of philosophy using education for the purpose of propagation is Buddha and his followers. They could change the religious pattern of India through the propagation of Buddhism. The teachings of Karl Marx and his followers too influenced the Communist countries of the world. They regarded dialectical materialism as taking the place of religion in the Communist Countries.

4. Philosophy shows the Direction for Modification of Natural Development - Education cannot take place without influence. The modern naturalistic movement in educational theory and practice advocates that the best education is that which keeps the child away from adult influence and allows him. But in practice we find, even as A. S. Neil, who experimented naturalism in his dreadful school at Summerhill and felt that schooling was not right does not withdraw himself from his school. It has been felt by the educationists that his presence has some effect on the development of those children who were under his charge. Hence education implies a modification of natural development of the child.

Now the question arises as to what are the agents that modify the behaviour of the child. To Answer - this question John Surat Mill says “Whatever helps to shape the human being; to make the individual what he is, or hinder him from being what he is not is part of his education.” According to Mill the influence to shape a human being cannot be denied. The philosophers show the direction of this natural development. To influence students according to this direction, education takes the lead. Education here does not imply any influence, but purposive influence. When influence becomes purposive, we take the help of personal education. Thus education requires two persons, one the educator, who deliberately wants to modify the development of the child and the educated, who is being influenced. Hence education is a bi-polar process. From this explanation, it is very much clear that education is the dynamic side of philosophy.

5. Great Philosophers have been Great Educationists also - Rusk has rightly said that many of the great philosophers were also great educators. If we look at the history of education, we will come across a galaxy of philosophers, who are educationists too. For example, Socrates, who left no written word, became a famous philosopher with the help of his admirers and disciples like Plato and Aristophanes. Afterwards, he became an active educationist and one of the great teachers of all times. At the early stages of philosophical thinking Plato, and Aristotle influenced the Western thought profoundly. Plato’s Republic is claimed by the educationists as one of the greatest of their classics and by the political philosophers as an ideal work on political philosophy. But as a matter of fact most of the Republic deals directly with education. In the writings of Aristotle, we find intimate relationship between philosophy, politics and education. Other great Western philosophers like St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, Locke, Rousseau, Kant, Hegel, Herbert Spencer and John Dewey are examples of philosophers who have much to say about the nature, aims and methods of education. Hence they are great educators. Rousseau, who had faith in the worth of every individual wrote, Emile, or Education’ in order to preach his vital belief of giving freedom to the child and to acquire education through his personal experience by learning directly from nature.

The ancient Indian sages and seers, who were the great philosophers in the past converted their forest home into gurukula schools in order to preserve the first results of their life long meditation. The ideas and ideals of Sankara and Buddha were preached in India and many people were converted to their ideologies. The Modern Indian philosophers like Gandhi, Gopabandhu, Tagore and Sri Aurobindo are also great educators. Thus the history of education proves that all philosophers have been great educationists.

6. Philosophy determines the various aspects of Education - Some scholars believe that philosophy is concerned with abstract items and conceptions only, while education deals with practical, concrete things and processes. But in fact, it is philosophy that has been influencing all aspects of education. Philosophy determines aims of education, curriculum, methods of teaching, nature of textbook, evaluation, role of a teacher, school organisation and school discipline etc.

Conclusion : Thus we find that philosophy effects different aspects of education. In the absence of philosophical foundations, education becomes irrelevant, meaningless and lifeless. Rusk has rightly said, “From every angle of educational problem comes thus the demand of a philosophical basis of the subject.” There is no escape from a philosophy of life and of education. In short, philosophy leads and education follows the path shown by philosophy. Butler says, “Philosophy is a guide to educational practice, education as field of investigation yields certain data as a basis for philosophical judgement.” The need of the hour is to synthesise the different aspects and have a suitable philosophy of education. The effect of science and technology should also be realized fully. In this regard, Education Commission Report (1964-66) says, “In the developments that we envisage our future we hope that the pursuit of mere material affluence and power would be subordinated to that of higher values and the fulfilment of the individual. This concept of mingling of ‘science and spirituality’ is of special significance for Indian Education.”

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