CABRERA, Menly EDUC 200

TOLENTINO, Celina Ana

NATURALISM
Naturalism is a philosophical doctrine. It is opposed to idealism in its interpretation of reality.
Naturalism is concerned with natural self or real self. It contends that the ultimate reality is
matter, and not mind or spirit.
Naturalism does not believe in spiritualism. It denies the existence of a spiritual universe the
universe of ideas and values.

According to naturalism, the material world is the only real world. It is the only reality. This material
world is being governed by a system of natural laws and the man, who is the creation of the material
world, must submit to them. The naturalists have regard for actual facts, actual situations and realities.
For them nature is everything. It is the whole reality.

Behind everything there is Nature. It denies the existence of anything beyond nature. Naturalism
believes that everything comes from nature and returns to nature. Nature, according to naturalism, is a
self-sufficient entity. It is self-determined and governed by its own laws.

The naturalists see things as they are. They apprehend reality as it is in its own nature. They do not
believe that there are any spiritual values or absolute truths. Naturalism takes recourse to such concepts
as appetites, emotions, instincts and evolution. According to naturalists, instincts are responsible for all
our activities biological, psychological or social. To them there is no absolute good or evil in the
world. Values of life, according to naturalism, are created by the human needs. Man creates them when
he reacts to or interacts with his environment. He must adapt himself to the environment.

According to the naturalists there is inherent goodness in man. In man there is an innate capacity for
morality. Man is born rational. The naturalists, thus, have idolized man. Nature, according to the
naturalists, is complete in itself, having its own laws. It does not, therefore, require us to have insight or
intuition to understand Nature.

Naturalism believes that mind is an accident in the process of evolution and it can be explained in terms
of nature. Mind is a function of the brain which is material in nature. Mind is not the source of
knowledge; all knowledge is acquired from without, and senses are the gateways of all knowledge.

According to the naturalists, society is meant for the individual and not the individual for society as they
believe that man is born good. He is corrupted by the society. Man must remain away from the society if
he wants to remain pure and unadulterated.

Some Basic Principles of Naturalism:

1. Nature is the final reality. All things originated from matter, all are ultimately to be reduced to matter.
Matter takes different forms.

2. Mind is the brain functioning and brain is matter.

3. All types of mental activities imagination, thinking, reasoning etc. are the functions of the brain.
4. The entire universe is governed by the laws of nature which are unchangeable Science reveals the
mysteries of nature; hence only that knowledge is true that is derived from science.

5. There is no God or Spirit. Therefore, there is no religion. There are no higher or eternal values. There
is no spiritual goal or ideal of human life. Man himself creates values in interaction with the
environment in which he is placed.

6. Follow Nature is the greatest slogan of naturalism in education. Natural development of the child,
the naturalists believe, takes place in the natural environment rather than in artificially designed
atmosphere of the school. In the field of education Nature is used in two senses one conveying the
physical nature and second the nature of the child i.e., tendencies, impulses, instincts of the child with
which he is born.

7. The child occupies the central position in the educative process. The child should be educated
according to his nature. It is the child himself rather than the educator, the school the book or the
subjects of study that should be in the foreground of the educational picture. Unnecessary interference
on the part of parents or teachers should be avoided.

8. The naturalists advocate freedom in education. Only under freedom, the naturalists believe, the child
can grow in his natural way. Freedom should be the pivot round which the educational program should
revolve. Child is a good, not an evil being; being born good he remains good when all opportunity
to fear and hate is abolished.

9. Instincts should be the main instruments of education. They must be exploited fully to modify the
behaviour of man from animal behaviour to human behaviour.

10. Senses are the gateways of knowledge. Real knowledge comes through the senses and, therefore, the
sensory experiences should be provided for effective learning.

Naturalism in Education:

Naturalism as a philosophy of education has exercised a great influence on the theory and practice of
education. It decries all external restraint in education and it condemns all unnecessary formalities in
education.

In the naturalistic system of education there is no place for class-room, textbooks, time-table, formal
lessons, curricula or examination. The chalk and talk method has no scope. The teacher has no
significant role to play. External discipline has no place in naturalistic system of education.

The only discipline applied in this system is the discipline of natural consequences. Naturalism has no
faith in formal education. To the naturalists, formal education is artificial and vicious. Good education
can be had only by a direct contact with nature.

Naturalism in education stands for the doctrine of follow nature in education. It wants all education
to be in strict conformity with the nature of the child. It stands for complete freedom to be given to the
child in learning. He is to be left alone, absolutely free. Let him learn from the pages of nature without
interference from any quarter. He is to be thrown into Nature as an explorer and discoverer.

Naturalism and Curriculum:

The naturalistic aims of education are reflected in its curriculum. The naturalists strongly advocate
inclusion of natural sciences such as physics, chemistry, zoology, botany in the curriculum. As
regards language and mathematics they opine that only such knowledge of these subjects should be
acquired as is essential for scientific studies. They also want that the pupil should not be plunged into
poetry and literature.

Naturalism does not attach much importance to spiritualism or religion in the curriculum. At the same
time it does not include music and painting in the curriculum.

Naturalism and Methods of Teaching:

In methods of teaching, naturalism is a revolt against the old, traditional and bookish system of
education. It, therefore, attaches no importance to formal schools and textbooks as these hinder the
natural development of children. It condemns note-learning and encourages learning by doing. They
emphasise auto-education and self-development, and learning through personal experience of the child.

Naturalism and the Teacher:

The educator should not interfere in the natural development of the child. He should not impose ideals or
ideas on him. He is only to help the child in the discovery of truth. He should a have critical and
scientific bent of mind and supreme reverence for truth. The educator must see that the child develops
freely. He should not make an artificial effort to educate the child.

The educator should not interfere in the natural development of the child. He should not impose ideals or
ideas on him. He is only to help the child in the discovery of truth. He should a have critical and
scientific bent of mind and supreme reverence for truth. The educator must see that the child develops
freely. He should not make an artificial effort to educate the child.

NATURALISM
Naturalism is probably the oldest philosophic thought in the west.
Naturalism gives freedom to the child to grow in the natural way.
Naturalism is rooted in British empiricism, the doctrine that all knowledge is derived from
experience
1. Naturalism as Philosophy of Education
The theory of naturalism revolves around nature.
According to the naturalists education should be according to the nature of the child.
2. Life & Works of Philosophers
 a. Jean Jacques Rousseau - Genevan Philosopher, writer, and composer, leader of the
Naturalistic Movement, French Revolution, development of modern political and educational
thought
Rousseau considered world as an artificial, autocratic, egotistic and arrogant place
Rousseau believed that education should be given according to the natural interest of the child
aiming at a holistic development of the personality .
Nature is the best teacher and means of education according to Rousseau (Singh, 2007).
Rousseaus Method of Teaching
Learning by Doing The child should take part in various activities and learn in natural
way.
Direct Experience Knowledge acquired through books is easily forgotten, while
knowledge directly acquired from various learning situation is permanent.
Method of Individual Instruction Teachers should consider the students individual
differences in giving instructions.
Heuristic Method Place the child in the position of discoverer. He is to be given an
opportunity to make experiment.
Social Participation - Let the child get knowledge about social relations by actually
visiting places and establishing contact with the members of the community.
b. Herbert Spencer - English philosopher, biologist, anthropologist, sociologist, and prominent
classical liberal political theorist
In 1850 Spencer published Social Statics, a work in which he stressed the importance of
individual freedom and the inevitability of human progress.
Spencer wrote that all organic matter originates in a unified state and that individual
characteristics gradually develop through evolution.
c. Emile Zola
attempted to apply methods of scientific observation to the depiction of pathological
human character.
Zola considered heredity modified by environment to have the force of fate.
3. Important Contributors
Hippolyte Taine - asserted the importance of such formative influences as 'la race, le milieu, et le
moment' ('race [heredity], environment, and historical moment') for human character and society.
Edmond and Jules de Goncourt - formed a bridge between realism and an extreme form of realism,
called naturalism. They believed human behavior was determined by hereditary instincts and emotions
and by the social and economic environment, rather than by free human choice.
4. Naturalism in Education
Learner
Individual is to be given unrestricted freedom and only then his harmonious development
will take place.
The naturalists advocate discipline by natural consequences.
Teacher
Extreme naturalists ignore teacher; because teacher will interfere with the development of
a child.
If the teacher is to be there, let him design situations which help in the inculcation of right
type of habits in the children.
As a director of activity, the teacher should not overdo his role or overact his role.
3. Naturalism in Education
Curriculum
Child centered according to the present and future needs of the child
5. CONCLUSION
Human beinsg are basically good by nature but were corrupted by complex historical events.