TABLE OF CONTENTS

PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATION OF EDUCATION

By Maricris B. Acido-Muega, Ph.D.
(not for publication purposes;
please get cite author when using parts of this work)

PART I PHILOSOPHY AND PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

A. PHILOSOPHY
• Definition
• Areas of Philosophy
• Method(s) of Philosophy
• Approaches to Philosophy
• Relevance of Philosophy
B. PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATION OF EDUCATION

PART I PHILOSOPHY AND PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

PART II EASTERN AND WESTERN PHILOSOPHIES
PART III USING PHILOSOPHY IN RESOLVING MORAL DILEMMAS

PART IV VALUES AND NATIONHOOD, RIGHTS AND AUTHORITY,

RESPONSIBILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

PART I—PHILOSOPHY AND PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

A. PHILOSOPHY is made up of two root words, “love (philo)” and “wisdom

(sophos)” (K. Ryan & J. Cooper, 1988). Philosophy, then, is the love of
knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is justified true belief (C. McGinn, 2004)
and wisdom is the right, correct and proper application of knowledge.
Wisdom is the knowledge and experience needed to make sensible decisions

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and judgments, or the good sense shown by the decisions and judgments
made (Microsoft Encarta Reference Library, 2005).
Philosophy, as the love of knowledge and wisdom, covers the twofold
nature of man: his/her thinking and acting natures, as well as the twofold
function and obligation of man: his/her epistemic function (to always think
and be rational and to give justification to all claims) and his/her moral
obligation.

Areas of Philosophy
Major Areas
G. Gutek, 1997 and K. Ryan and J. Cooper (1988) discuss the five
major areas of philosophy, namely: Metaphysics, Epistemology, Ethics,
Aesthetics, and Logic. Metaphysics is the area of philosophy that studies
and raises questions about ultimate reality and existence. Epistemology is
an area of philosophy that deals with the nature, theories and justification of
knowledge. Ethics deals with principles and standards of morality.
Aesthetics deals with questions about, and principles of, art and beauty.
When Ethics and Aesthetics are studied as one area, it then becomes the
area of Axiology (the study of morality and values). Logic deals with valid,
sound and correct reasoning.
Areas in Applied Philosophy
The areas in applied philosophy have natures and functions which
involve the application of philosophy in the various disciplines. Some of these
are the following: Social Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Science,
Philosophy of Language, Philosophy of Law, Bioethics, Philosophy of Religion,
and Philosophy of Education, among others.

Method(s) of Philosophy
The general method of philosophy is Analysis. That is, the kind of
analysis that is philosophical. There is the general meaning of analysis, which
is the act or process of breaking down something that is complex into its
simpler parts (P. Facione, 1996). There is also analysis that is philosophical,
and this focuses on the clarification of concepts and linguistic expressions to

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clarify and establish meanings (M. Acido, 2004), and also emphasizes on the
logic of a statement or claim (Oxford Dictionary, 9th ed., 1995).
The various methods of philosophy therefore involve the general
method analysis, and some of these are logic (for formal reasoning),
philosophical analysis (for ordinary language reasoning), dialectics
(which, according to K. Ryan and J. Cooper, 1988, is “raising questions,
proposing answers, and examining implications of those answers”).

Approaches to Philosophy
S. Honer and T. Hunt (1996) discuss the two major approaches to
philosophy: the speculative approach (also popularly known as the
traditional approach) and the analytic/critical approach (became popular
during the modern period). The former approach views the nature and task
of philosophy as primarily the creation of a comprehensive view of the world.
The latter views the nature and task of philosophy as the clarification of
concepts and linguistic expressions to establish meaning.
Relevance of Philosophy (this section was excerpted from M. Acido, 2005)
As students and teachers, we belong to the pool of scholars and
academics that are considered experts in the rational, intellectual activity of
human life. Our task is crucial and very important, as it demands from us
openness to various and different types of knowledge and to various ways of
knowing. It also demands from us positions and decisions on various issues
and guides or directions for courses of actions. Philosophy, as it is the love of
knowledge and wisdom, makes us deal with these tasks, functions and
obligations and develops in us the passion for what is rational and good.

B. PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION is the application of philosophy, its

principles and methods, to the concepts and theories of education. Most of
the fundamental principles in philosophy, including its tools and techniques
(method), are used to clarify, define, evaluate, and develop the important
and fundamental concepts in education. Since learning is an epistemological
endeavor (the process of learning involves knowing, and knowing is a major

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topic in epistemology), education involves the fundamental concepts of what
to know, how to know, what is valuable.