PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATION OF EDUCATION

Naturalism, in philosophy, a theory that relates scientific method to philosophy by affirming that
all beings and events in the universe (whatever their inherent character may be) are natural.
Consequently, all knowledge of the universe falls within the pale of scientific investigation.

Behaviorism is the theory that human or animal psychology can be objectively studied through
observable actions (behaviors.) Behaviorism seeks to identify observable, measurable laws that
explain human behavior. Because behaviorism focuses on observable behavioral outputs, classical
behaviorists argue that any task or behavior can be modified with the right conditioning, regardless
of individual traits and thinking patterns.

Essentialism, In ontology, the view that some properties of objects are essential to them. The
“essence” of a thing is conceived as the totality of its essential properties. Theories of essentialism
differ with respect to their conception of what it means to say that a property is essential to an
object. The concept of an essential property is closely related to the concept of necessity, since one
way of saying that a property P is essential to an object O is to say that the proposition “O has P”
is necessarily true.
Essentialism is the view that every entity has a set of attributes that are necessary to
its identity and function. In early Western thought, Plato's idealism held that all things have such
an "essence"—an "idea" or "form".

Existentialism is a tradition of philosophical enquiry which takes as its starting point the
experience of the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living
human individual. existentialism” is a term that belongs to intellectual history. Its definition is thus
to some extent one of historical convenience. The term was explicitly adopted as a self-description.

Realism, in philosophy, the viewpoint which accords to things which are known or perceived an
existence or nature which is independent of whether anyone is thinking about or perceiving them.

Idealism, in philosophy, any view that stresses the central role of the ideal or the spiritual in the
interpretation of experience. It may hold that the world or reality exists essentially as spirit
or consciousness, that abstractions and laws are more fundamental in reality than sensory things,
or, at least, that whatever exists is known in dimensions that are chiefly mental—through and as
ideas.

Hedonism, in ethics, a general term for all theories of conduct in which the criterion is pleasure
of one kind or another. The word is derived from the Greek hedone (“pleasure”),
from hedys (“sweet” or “pleasant”). Hedonistic theories of conduct have been held from the
earliest times. They have been regularly misrepresented by their critics because of a simple
misconception, namely, the assumption that the pleasure upheld by the hedonist is necessarily
purely physical in its origins. This assumption is in most cases a complete perversion of the truth.
Practically all hedonists recognize the existence of pleasures derived from fame and reputation,
from friendship and sympathy, from knowledge and art.
Pragmatism, school of philosophy, dominant in the United States in the first quarter of the 20th
century, based on the principle that the usefulness, workability, and practicality of ideas, policies,
and proposals are the criteria of their merit. It stresses the priority of action over doctrine,
of experience over fixed principles, and it holds that ideas borrow their meanings from their
consequences and their truths from their verification. Thus, ideas are essentially instruments and
plans of action. Pragmatism is a philosophical tradition that – very broadly – understands knowing
the world as inseparable from agency within it. This general idea has attracted a remarkably rich
and at times contrary range of interpretations, including: that all philosophical concepts should be
tested via scientific experimentation, that a claim is true if and only if it is useful (relatedly: if a
philosophical theory does not contribute directly to social progress then it is not worth much), that
experience consists in transacting with rather than representing nature, that articulate language
rests on a deep bed of shared human practices that can never be fully ‘made explicit’.

Progressivism is a political philosophy in support of social reform.[1] It is based on the idea of

progress in which advancements in science, technology, economic development and social
organization are vital to the improvement of the human condition. The meanings of progressivism
have varied over time and from different perspectives. Progressivism became highly significant
during the Age of Enlightenment in Europe, out of the belief that Europe was demonstrating that
societies could progress in civility from uncivilized conditions to civilization through
strengthening the basis of empirical knowledge as the foundation of society.

Perennialism “The purpose of the university is nothing less than to procure a moral, intellectual,
and spiritual revolution throughout the world” – Robert Hutchins
Perennialism is a teacher-centered educational philosophy that focuses on everlasting ideas and
universal truths. To clarify, Perennialism suggests that the focus of education should be the ideas
that have lasted for centuries believing the ideas are as relevant and meaningful today as when
they were written. This educational philosophy aims to prepare students for life by developing
their intellectual and moral qualities through emphasizing knowledge and the meaning of
knowledge, servings to enhance student’s critical thinking skills in their search for individual
freedoms, human rights and responsibilities through nature.
Educational perennialism also infrequently referred to as Universal Curriculum is a normative
educational philosophy. Perennialists believe that one should teach the things that are of
everlasting pertinence to all people everywhere, and that the emphasis should be on principles, not
facts. Since people are human, one should teach first about humans, rather than machines or
techniques, and about liberal, rather than vocational, topics.