PHILOSOPHY EDUCATION

The aim of this paper is to discuss the aspects of philosophy and why it should be supported in college of education. Fichte says, "The art of education will never attain complete clearness without philosophy". In fact, philosophy is a sun around which all the aspects of education rotate. It gives direction to education by providing certain guidelines. In this way, philosophy is regarded as the cornerstone for the foundation of education. Gentile is very right when he remarks that the process of education cannot proceed on right lines without the help of philosophy. Now let us concentrate on what is philosophy? What is education? What is educational philosophy? And what is the relationship between philosophy and education? Philosophy of education can refer to either the academic field of applied philosophy or to one of any educational philosophies that promote a specific type or vision of education, and/or which examine the definition, goals and meaning of education. As an academic field, philosophy of education is "the philosophical study of education and its problems...its central subject matter is education, and its methods are those of philosophy "The philosophy of education may be either the philosophy of the process of education or the philosophy of the discipline of education. That is, it may be part of the discipline in the sense of being concerned with the aims, forms, methods, or results of the process of educating or being educated; or it may be multidisciplinary in the sense of being concerned with the concepts, aims, and methods of the discipline." S. Samuel (2011) states that “Philosophy is the truth or wisdom gained out of human knowledge and experience as a consequence of his interaction with the enfolded facts of nature". It is clear that philosophy is an attempt to answer the ultimate questions of life. It also means the search for knowledge, wisdom, and the relationship between the variables and their impact on nature. Thus, it is an attitude towards human life and universe where the effort is made to search for truth on the basis of logical enquiry. Etymologically, the word education is derived from educare (Latin) "bring up", which is related to educere "bring out", "bring forth what is within", "bring out potential" and ducere, "to lead". Education in the largest sense is any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character or physical ability of an individual. In its technical sense, education is the process by which society deliberately transmits its accumulated knowledge, skills and values from one generation to another. Snekson (1974) define education as the means where experience which prepares the next generation for life’s duties and pleasure, in short, education is a condition of human survival here the research has clearly shown the connection between philosophy and education. The research can now further on the aspects of philosophy. However, the aspects of philosophy an, philosophy as an activity, philosophy as an attitude and content of philosophy. Webster defines education as the process of educating or teaching (now that's really useful, isn't it?) Educate is further defined as "to develop the knowledge, skill, or character of..." Thus, from these definitions, we might assume that the purpose of education is to develop the knowledge, skill, or character of students. John Dewey "Educational philosophy is the most significant phase of philosophy, for it is through the process of education that knowledge is obtained” Educational philosophy is the study of all those aspects or schools of philosophy, which are important from the educational point of view. Educational philosophy includes areas such as aim of education, curriculum, methods, teacher, child, textbooks, school, discipline, evaluation, supervision and administration. Educational philosophy helps in determining the aims of education. An educator is helpless in arriving at the aims of education if he lacks the knowledge of related circumstances and problems. Logic is one of the most important and oldest branches of philosophy and its subject matter falls at the core of philosophizing. Logic studies patterns of reasoning dividing them into those that are valid and invalid with respect to a set of given rules. Logic is the art of non-contradictory identification. It is the mental tool that sets the standard for proper thought. It is the foundation of knowledge. It is the means of understanding and clarity. Without logic, we could not distinguish between the true and the false. We could not throw out bad ideas because we could not judge them as bad. Without logic, our minds would be cluttered with so many meaningless and falsehoods that if there was some truth, it would be lost in the poor quality of contradictions, distorted thoughts, and non-integrated mental images. In addition, some of those who study philosophy in colleges become professional philosophers who teach, research and white in academic institutions. However, most people trained in academic philosophy go on to contribute to law, sciences, politics, religions, journals, business and various arts (Adler, 2000). Moreover, there is philosophy and knowledge which is traditionally the term philosophy and this is referred to any body of knowledge. In this sense, philosophy is related to religion, mathematics, natural science, education and politics. According to Blackburn (1994), states that many institutions have college or university wide course requirements for their students typically aimed at such goals as critical thinking or logical reasoning, sensitivity to values and awareness of global issues. In fact, the aim of a particular core requirement is to develop habits of careful, critical thought in students then philosophy is especially well suited to the realization of this aim. It is also believed that the study of philosophy helps students to develop both their capacity and their inclination to do critical thinking. Other disciplines also help in fulfilling this function. Philosophy contributes distinctly, intensely and extensively to a student’s ability to think critically. Furthermore, many philosophy departments regularly offer a course devoted exclusively to the topic of critical thinking. Epistemology is the study of our method of acquiring knowledge. It answers the question, "how do we know?" It encompasses the nature of concepts, the constructing of concepts, the validity of the senses, logical reasoning, as well as thoughts, ideas, memories, emotions, and all things mental. It is concerned with how our minds are related to reality, and whether these relationships are valid or invalid. Epistemology is the explanation of how we think. It is required in order to be able to determine the true from the false, by determining a proper method of evaluation. It is needed in order to use and obtain knowledge of the world around us. Without epistemology, we could not think. More specifically, we would have no reason to believe our thinking was productive or correct, as opposed to random images flashing before our mind. With an incorrect epistemology, we would not be able to distinguish truth from error. The consequences are obvious. The degree to which our epistemology is correct is the degree to which we could understand reality, and the degree to which we could use that knowledge to promote our lives and goals. For this purpose a teacher should know filly well the needs of the children and the demands of the society. He or she must keep in mind that his or her own beliefs, ideals and principles of behaviors have powerful impacts on the development of children. Makamba, (2005) hence he or she must possess a good understanding of all philosophies of life and choose the best from them to form his or her own philosophy. In addition the teacher is the backbone of the entire progress of education. Philosophic thought is speculative in pursuing questions        that do not bear directly on practical matters at first sight.  It is speculative in considering problems which only highly abstract thought presents.  It is speculative in developing truly pres by optic perspectives and concerns. It is speculative in considering ultimate metaphysical issues,    pursuing the most critical formulation of principles held to govern thought and action, and furthering mathematical and       logical inquiry in its attempt to further the progress of human thought and the improvement of the human condition.  This suggests that philosophy in education offers positive guidance, ironically, philosophy tends to offer more questions than answers. Moreover, the discipline of education is widespread and diverse, as it tends to involve so many participants and stakeholders. Largely it speculates on analysis and speculations on the evolution of what education would be tomorrow. In conclusion, Philosophy of education takes into consideration the nature of institutions involved, analyzing its operations in academic, social and administrative structures hence offering criticism on their credibility. As delicate as it seems, it defines the interrelation and the interdependency of the parties, groups or individuals involved. Moreover, specifying boundaries along administrative hierarchy. Institutions and systems that provide education are unique and diverse. philosophy in education aims at improving the quality of life, the betterment of humanity and the improvement in education of future generations. REFERENCE Blaceburn, Simon (1994), The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, Oxford: Oxford University Makumba (2005), Introduction to philosophy. Paw line. Africa. Nairobi: Kenya. Noddings, Nel (1995). Philosophy of Education. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. Samuel Ravi (2011), A Comphrehensive Study of education. PHI Learning: New Delhi. Snelson (1974), Education Development in Northern Rhodesia. Lusaka: Kenneth Kaunda Publishing House.   5