Preparation of School Purpose

Reasoning: The Power of Philosophy, A Tool of Education

A Written Report in EDD 200

Philosophical and Ethical Foundation of Education

Submitted by: Submitted to:

SARAH JOY V. TADEJA BALDOMERO J. BICALDO JR.
MAED- Math I Subject Professor
 I. OBJECTIVES
At the end of the discussions, you will be able to:
1. Define reasoning, philosophy and education.
2. Understand the importance of reasoning to philosophy and education.

II. DISCUSSION
Man is a rational animal. It is a popular statement by Aristotle. He believed that what makes
us differ from any other animal is our ability to reason out.
The English term “reason” is derived from the French word raison, from Latin rationem
(ratio) "reckoning, understanding, motive, cause." The concept of reason is connected to the
concept of language, as reflected in the meanings of the Greek word, "logos." As reason,
rationality, and logic are all associated with the ability of the human mind to predict effects as
based upon presumed causes, the word "reason" also denotes a ground or basis for a particular
argument, and hence is used synonymously with the word "cause."
Reasoning is generally seen as a means to improve knowledge and make better decisions. For
example, you may have overheard someone engaged in a discussion say, “Look, be reasonable.”
When people make this comment, they are usually asking others to:

 be open to changing their minds;

 avoid bias;
 think logically;
 dig deeper for the truth, whether they like that truth or not; and/or
 set aside narrow-mindedness, superstitions, magical thinking, and impulsiveness.

Reason is man's tool of understanding. It is the method of identifying entities through one's
senses. It is the means of integrating those perceptions into concepts, gaining knowledge through
this integration, integrating that knowledge into the rest of one's knowledge, and evaluating and
manipulating ideas and facts.

Reason is the process of thinking. Its fundamental attribute is clarity. The use of vague
notions, fuzzy feelings, or "instincts" is not reason. Reason requires clear, identifiable building
blocks. It uses ideas, memories, emotions, and sensory input. The ideas must be clear and
definable. The memories must be recognizable, and vivid. The emotions are recognized as
emotions only, with no further meaning. The sensory input must be identified in order to be used.

Reason is organized. It is systematic and purposeful. It concentrates on fundamentals, and

makes pertinent associations. Since clarity is the purpose of reason, it must use clear methods, as
well as clear tools. It must use logic, deduction, and induction.

Reason is the method of thinking in an organized, clear way to achieve knowledge and
understanding. Since it is a means, its importance and significance is in its method. The ends
toward which it is used defines the validity of the method. Understanding and knowledge is the
criteria for evaluating the use of reason.
 Knowledge is
knowledge about reality. Its base is perception, and its method is reason. We gain knowledge
through observing reality. We use our minds to identify what we have observed by gathering
more perceptual information until we can understand what we see. Reason is the tool that allows
us to determine how to gather more information, and what kind of information we need. Reason
is then used to compare and combine that new information into the rest of our body of
knowledge in order to acquire a more complete understanding.

Knowledge requires clarity and the identification of limits and boundaries. Only reason can
collect sensory data into something meaningful, which is clear and definable. To speak of
knowledge that we don't understand is a contradiction in terms. Emotions, perceptual memories,
or vague notions are not knowledge. Knowledge is lucid and can only be formed by the use of
reason. There is no other path. Reason is absolute.

Importance of Reasoning in Philosophy

Reason, in philosophy, the faculty or process of drawing logical inferences. Reason is in
opposition to sensation, perception, feeling, desire, as the faculty (the existence of which is
denied by empiricists) by which fundamental truths are intuitively apprehended. These
fundamental truths are the causes or “reasons” of all derivative facts. According to the German
philosopher Immanuel Kant, reason is the power of synthesizing into unity, by means
of comprehensive principles, the concepts that are provided by the intellect.
In theology, reason, as distinguished from faith, is the human intelligence exercised upon
religious truth whether by way of discovery or by way of explanation. The limits within which
the reason may be used have been laid down differently in different churches and periods of
thought: on the whole, modern Christianity, especially in the Protestant churches, tends to allow
to reason a wide field, reserving, however, as the sphere of faith the ultimate (supernatural) truths
of theology.

Importance of Reason in Education

The ability to reason has a fundamental impact on one's ability to learn from new information
and experiences because reasoning skills determine how people comprehend, evaluate, and
accept claims and arguments. Reasoning skills are also crucial for being able to generate and
maintain viewpoints or beliefs that are coherent with, and justified by, relevant knowledge. There
are two general kinds of reasoning that involve claims and evidence: formal and informal.

 Informal reasoning refers to attempts to determine what information is relevant to a

question, what conclusions are plausible, and what degree of support the relevant
information provides for these various conclusions. Informal reasoning is common,
every-day reasoning.

 Formal reasoning is used to evaluate the form of an argument, and to examine the logical
relationships between conclusions and their supporting assertions. Formal reasoning is
concerned only with the forms of arguments. Certain forms of arguments have been
identified which are valid. In other words, if the original statements (or premises) in those
arguments are true, then the conclusions must necessarily be true also. Therefore, the
form:
 All marbles
are red. All red things are bright. Therefore, all marbles are bright. is a valid form. The
truth of the first two statements is not of interest. But, assuming that they are true, the last
statement must necessarily be true.

REFERENCES
https://lah.elearningontario.ca/CMS/public/exported_courses/HZT4U/exported/HZT4UU01/
HZT4UU01/HZT4UU01A03/_content.html#:~:text=A%20philosophical%20discourse%20is
%20an,knowledge%20and%20make%20better%20decisions.
https://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2169/Learning-REASONING.html