Complete Note on Philosophical Foundations of Education (As Per NEP-2020 Syllabus)- Unit-I: Education in Philosophical Perspective

 Table of Contents

1.     Unit-I: Education in Philosophical Perspective

Unit-I: Education in Philosophical Perspective

Click Here for Unit-II: Western Schools of Philosophy and Educational Implications

Click Here for Unit-III: Indian Schools of Philosophy and Educational Implications

1.1 Concept of Education

Narrower and Broader Concepts of Education

Aspect	Narrower Concept	Broader Concept
Definition	Formal schooling in institutions	Life-long learning from all experiences
Duration	Limited to school/college years	From womb to tomb
Scope	Curriculum-based, teacher-directed	All environmental influences
Purpose	Knowledge acquisition, certification	Total personality development
Agencies	Schools, colleges, universities	Home, society, media, peers, workplace
Method	Structured, planned, deliberate	Incidental, natural, spontaneous

Etymology of Education

The word "education" derives from several Latin terms:

·       Educare: "to nourish", "to bring up", "to raise"

·       Educere: "to draw out", "to lead out", "to bring forth"

·       Educatum: "to train", "to teach"

·       E + Duco: "out of" + "I lead" = to lead out internal powers

Definitions on Education:

Indian Views on Education

1.     Rig Veda: "Education is something which makes a man self-reliant and selfless".

2.     Upanishads: "Education is that whose end product is salvation".

3.     Bhagavad Gita: "Nothing is more purifying on earth than knowledge".

4.     Yajnavalkya: "Education is that which makes a man of good character and useful to the world".

5.     Panini: "Human education means the training which one gets from nature".

6.     Kautilya: "Education means training for the country and love for the nation".

7.     Kannada: "Education means development of self-contentment".

8.     Sankaracharya: "Education is the realization of the self and attainment of Moksha (liberation)".

9.     Guru Nanak: "Education is self-realisation and service of the people. It enables an individual to win victory over the five enemies-lust, anger, greed, infatuation and ego" (kam, krodh, lobh, moh, ahankar).

10.  Dayanand: "Education is a means for character formation and righteous living". To him, an educated person is healthy and an uneducated person is suffering from the disease of ignorance.

11.  Swami Vivekananda: "Education means the manifestation of the divine perfection, already existing in man".

12.  Tagore: "Education means enabling the mind to find out that ultimate truth which emancipates us from the bondage of the dust and gives us the wealth, not of things but of inner light, not of power but of love, making this truth its own and giving expression to it". In short, "The widest road leading to the solution of all our problems is education".

13.  Mahatma Gandhi: "By Education, I mean an all-round drawing out of the best in the child and man-body, mind and spirit".

14.  Aurobindo: "Education is helping the growing soul to draw out that is in itself".

15.  Radhakrishnan: "Education means training the intellect, refinement of the heart and discipline of the spirit".

16.  Zakir Hussain: "Education is the process of the individual mind getting to its full possible development to realise absolute moral and intellectual value".

17.  Jiddu Krishnamurti: "Education in the true sense is helping the individual to be mature and free, to flower greatly in love and goodness".

18.  Humayun Kabir: "Education is a dynamic process which in its totality changes with the changing situations and developing circumstances. It enables man to realise higher values of life which are essential for him to become the roof and crown of all creations".

19.  P.C.Bannerji: "Education is the development of the power of adaptation to an ever-changing social environment".

20.  A.P.J.Abdul Kalam: "Education is one that fosters capacities such as spirit of enquiry, creativity, entrepreneurial and moral leadership, which are central to nation building in a democracy. We need education which develops in our children these capacities and makes them autonomous learners who are self-directed and self-controlled". 

An easy way to remember these definitions:

Thinker/Source	Definition / Key Idea	Keywords to Remember
Rig Veda	Makes a man self-reliant & selfless	Self-reliant, selfless
Upanishads	End product = Salvation	Salvation
Bhagavad Gita	Knowledge is supreme & purifying.	Purification by Knowledge
Yajnavalkya	Makes a man of good character, applicable to the world	Character, Utility
Panini	Training from nature	Nature
Kautilya	Training for the country, love for the nation	Nation, Patriotism
Kannada	Development of self-contentment	Contentment
Shankaracharya	Realisation of self → Moksha	Self-realisation, Moksha
Guru Nanak	Self-realization & service, victory over five enemies (lust, anger, greed, infatuation, ego)	5 Enemies
Dayanand	Character formation, righteous living, and ignorance = disease.	Character, Ignorance
Vivekananda	Manifestation of divine perfection within	Perfection Within
Tagore	Mind to discover the ultimate truth, inner light, and love	Truth, Inner Light
Gandhi	All-round development (body, mind, spirit)	All-round
Aurobindo	Helping the soul to draw out its inner potential	Soul Growth
Radhakrishnan	Training intellect, refining heart, disciplining spirit	Intellect, Heart, Spirit
Zakir Hussain	Full development to realize moral & intellectual value	Full Development
Jiddu Krishnamurti	Helping individuals to be mature and free and flourish in love	Freedom, Love
Humayun Kabir	Dynamic process, changes with time, helps realize higher values	Dynamic
P.C. Bannerji	Adaptation to a changing society	Adaptation
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam	Fosters inquiry, creativity, leadership, and nation-building	Inquiry, Creativity, Nation

Western Views on Education

1.     Socrates: "Education means the bringing out of the ideas of universal validity which are latent in the mind of every man. It is dispelling error and discovering truth".

2.     Plato: "Education is the capacity to feel pleasure and pain at the right moment. It develops in the body and in the soul of the pupil all the beauty and all the perfection which he is capable of".

3.     Aristotle: "Education is the creation of a sound body. It develops man's faculty, especially his mind, so that he may be able to enjoy the contemplation of the supreme truth, goodness and beauty of which perfect happiness essentially consists".

4.     Comenius: "All those who are born as human beings need education because they are destined to be real men, not wild beasts, dull animals and clumps of wood".

5.     Rousseau: "Education of man commences at his birth, before he can speak, before he can understand, he is already instructed. Experience is the forerunner of precept. It is the development from within".

6.     Kant: "Education is the development in the individual of all the perfection of which he is capable".

7.     Pestalozzi: "Education is natural, harmonious and progressive development of man's innate powers".

8.     Froebel: "Education is unfoldment of what is already enfolded in the germ. It is the process through which the child draws out his internal potentialities. It is the cultivation of awareness, love and independence in the child".

9.     John Dewey: "Education is the development of all those capacities in the individual which will enable him to control his environment and fulfil his possibilities".

10.  T.Raymont: "Education is a process of development from infancy to maturity, the process by which he adapts himself gradually in various ways of his physical and spiritual environment".

11.  James Drever: "Education is a process in which and by which knowledge, character, and behaviour of the young are shaped and moulded".

12.  Bossing: "Education is conceived to be the adjustment of man to his environment, to the end that most enduring satisfaction may accrue to the individuals and to the society".

13.  Adams, John: "Education is a conscious and deliberate process in which one's personality acts upon another in order to modify the development of the other by the communication and manipulation of knowledge".

14.  T.P.Nunn: "Education is the complete development of the individuality of the child so that man can make an original contribution to human life according to the best of his capacity".

15.  Ruskin: "Education does not mean teaching the people what they do not know. It means teaching them to behave as they do not behave".

16.  Thompson: "Education is the influence of the environment on the individual with the view to producing a permanent change in his habits, behaviour, thought and attitude".

17.  Ross: "Education is the development of valuable personality and spiritual individuality".

18.  Brown: "Education is the consciously controlled process whereby changes in behaviour are produced in the person and through the person within the group".

19.  William James: "Education is fitting the individual to his physical and social environment".

20.  Huxley: "Education is fashioning the will of the individual to enable him to move in harmony with nature".

21.  Montaigne: "Education is cultivating manners, behaviour, and judgement than bare and mere liberal learning".

22.  Herbert Spencer: "Education is preparing for complete living".

23.  Emerson: "Education means controlling mind".

24.  Milton: "Education is that which fits a man to perform justly skillfully and magnanimously all the offices, both private, and public of peace and war".

25.  Redden: "Education is the deliberate and systematic influence exerted by the matured person (educator) upon the immatured (educand) through instruction, discipline and harmonious development of physical, intellectual, aesthetic, social and spiritual powers of the human being, according to individual and social needs and directed towards the union of the educand with his creator as the end".

 

An easy way to remember these definitions:

Thinker	Definition / Essence	Keywords to Remember
Socrates	Bringing out latent ideas; dispelling error, discovering truth	Truth, Latent Ideas
Plato	Feeling pleasure/pain rightly; beauty & perfection of body and soul	Beauty, Perfection
Aristotle	Sound body & mind; contemplation of truth, goodness, beauty = happiness	Sound Body, Happiness
Comenius	Humans need education → not beasts or wood	Human vs Beast
Rousseau	Education from birth; experience before precept; development from within	Birth, Experience
Kant	Development of all perfection in man	Perfection
Pestalozzi	Natural, harmonious, progressive development of powers	Harmony, Powers
Froebel	Unfoldment of germ; internal potentialities; love, awareness, independence	Germ, Unfoldment
Dewey	Develop capacities to control environment, fulfil possibilities	Environment Control
T. Raymont	Development from infancy to maturity; adaptation to environment	Infancy → Maturity
James Drever	Shaping knowledge, character, behaviour	Knowledge, Character
Bossing	Adjustment to environment for satisfaction (individual + society)	Adjustment, Satisfaction
John Adams	Conscious process: one personality modifies another through knowledge	Personality Influence
T.P. Nunn	Complete individuality for original contribution	Individuality
Ruskin	Teaching how to behave, not just what to know	Behaviour
Thompson	Influence of environment → permanent change in habits & thought	Environment, Change
Ross	Valuable personality & spiritual individuality	Personality, Spiritual
Brown	Controlled process → behaviour change in person & group	Behaviour Change
William James	Fitting individual to physical & social environment	Fit to Environment
Huxley	Fashioning will in harmony with nature	Will, Nature
Montaigne	Cultivating manners, judgement (not just book learning)	Manners, Judgement
Herbert Spencer	Education = preparation for complete living	Complete Living
Emerson	Controlling mind	Mind Control
Milton	Fitting man for duties of peace & war	Peace & War
Redden	Mature influences immature → holistic (physical, intellectual, aesthetic, social, spiritual) → union with Creator	Holistic, Creator

1.2 Concept of Lifelong Education

Definition: Lifelong education is a continuous process of learning that spans an individual's entire life, from birth to death, encompassing formal, non-formal, and informal learning experiences.

Characteristics of Lifelong Education

1.     Continuity: Learning never stops

2.     Flexibility: Adapts to individual needs and circumstances

3.     Accessibility: Available to all regardless of age, background

4.     Diversity: Multiple learning pathways and methods

5.     Integration: Links learning with life and work

6.     Self-direction: Emphasises learner autonomy

1.3 Individual and Social Aims of Education

Individual Aims of Education

Aim	Description	Key Features
Self-realization	Development of individual potential	- Personal growth - Self-awareness - Spiritual development
Self-expression	Freedom to develop naturally	- Creativity - Originality - Individual uniqueness
Personality Development	All-round growth of the individual	- Physical, mental, moral development - Character formation

Social Aims of Education

Aim	Description	Key Features
Social Efficiency	Preparing good citizens	- Civic responsibility - Social skills - Community service
Cultural Transmission	Preserving heritage	- Cultural continuity - Value preservation - Social cohesion
Social Progress	Improving society	- Reform initiatives - Innovation - Social change

Synthesis of Individual and Social Aims

Modern education recognises that individual and social development are complementary:

·       Individual development contributes to social progress

·       Social environment enables individual growth

·       Balance is essential for harmonious development

1.4 Meaning and Nature of Philosophy of Education

Definition

Philosophy of education is the application of philosophical principles to solve educational problems and provide guidelines for educational practices.

Nature of Philosophy of Education

1.     Normative: Provides ideals and standards

2.     Prescriptive: Suggests what ought to be done

3.     Analytical: Examines educational concepts critically

4.     Synthesising: Integrates various perspectives

5.     Practical: Guides educational practice

Definitions of Philosophy:

1.     According to Plato: "Philosophy is the acquisition of knowledge."

2.     According to Aristotle: "Philosophy is a science which discovers the real nature of supernatural elements".

3.     According to Socrates: "Philosophy is a daily activity".

4.     According to Levison: "Philosophy is mental activity".

5.     According to John Dewey: "Philosophy is not a panacea (remedy for all kinds of diseases/troubles) for the problems of men, but is that which emerges out of the methods employed by them to solve their problems."

6.     According to Karl Marx: "Philosophy is the interpretation of the world in order to change it".

7.     According to Hegel: "Philosophy is that which grasps its own era in thought."

8.     According to Immanuel Kant, philosophy is "the science and criticism of cognition."

9.     According to Russel: "Philosophy properly deals with matters of interest to the general educated public, and loses much of its value if only a few professionals can understand it."

10.  According to Michel Foucault: "Philosophy is not the reflection of a pre-existing truth, but the production of a new truth."

11.  According to Jean-Paul Sartre: "Philosophy is not a closed, static doctrine, but a living movement."

12.  According to Friedrich Nietzsche: "Philosophy is not a theory but an activity."

13.  According to René Descartes: "Philosophy is like a tree, whose roots are metaphysics and epistemology, its trunk is logic, and its branches are ethics, aesthetics, and politics."

14.  According to Raymont: "Philosophy is an unceasing effort to discover the general truth that lies behind the particular fact, to discover also the realities that lie behind appearance."

15.  According to Kilpatrick: "Philosophy is a point of view, outlook on life."

16.  According to Dr. Radhakrishnan: "Philosophy is a view of life. It gives a direction to life, and offers a design for living."

17.  According to George Berkeley: "Philosophy, being nothing but the study of wisdom and truth..."

18.  According to Brightman: "Philosophy may be defined as an attempt to think truly about human experience or a whole or to make our whole experience intelligible."

19.  According to Fichte: "Philosophy is the science of knowledge."

20.  Coleridge, Samuel Taylor, defined it as the "Science of science."

21.  According to John Armstrong: "Philosophy is the successful love of thinking."

22.  According to Marilyn Adams: "Philosophy is thinking really hard about the most important questions and trying to bring analytic clarity both to the questions and the answers."

23.  According to Humayun Kabir, philosophy "seeks to give knowledge of the whole."

 

An easy way to remember these definitions:

Thinker	Definition (Essence)	Keywords / Hooks
Plato	Acquisition of knowledge	Knowledge
Aristotle	Science of the real nature of the supernatural	Supernatural Science
Socrates	Daily activity	Daily Life
Levison	Mental activity	Mental
John Dewey	Emerges from methods to solve problems, not a panacea	Problem-solving
Karl Marx	Interpretation of world → to change it	Change the World
Hegel	Grasping one's own era in thought	Era in Thought
Immanuel Kant	Science & criticism of cognition	Cognition
Bertrand Russell	Philosophy = for all educated, not just professionals	Public Interest
Michel Foucault	Production of new truth, not reflection	New Truth
Sartre	Not static doctrine, but living movement	Living Movement
Nietzsche	Not theory, but activity	Activity
René Descartes	Tree → roots (metaphysics), trunk (logic), branches (ethics, politics, aesthetics)	Tree
Raymont	Effort to discover the general truth behind facts & appearances	Truth behind Fact
Kilpatric	Point of view, outlook on life	Outlook
Radhakrishnan	View of life, direction, design for living	Direction of Life
George Berkeley	Study of wisdom and truth	Wisdom, Truth
Brightman	Think truly about human experience as a whole	Whole Experience
Fichte	Science of knowledge	Knowledge Science
Coleridge	Science of science	Science of Science
John Armstrong	Love of thinking	Love Thinking
Marilyn Adams	Thinking hard about big questions, analytic clarity	Hard Thinking
Humayun Kabir	Knowledge of the whole	Whole Knowledge

1.5 Branches of Philosophy and Educational Implications

1.5.1 Metaphysics

Definition: The branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of reality and existence.

Metaphysical Questions	Educational Implications
What is the nature of reality?	Determines curriculum content and emphasis
What is the nature of human beings?	Influences teaching methods and student treatment
What is the relationship between mind and matter?	Affects educational goals and priorities
Is there a spiritual dimension to existence?	Shapes moral and value education

 

Educational Implications of Metaphysics:

·       Idealistic Metaphysics → Emphasis on spiritual and moral education

·       Materialistic Metaphysics → Focus on scientific and practical education

·       Dualistic Metaphysics → Balanced approach to mental and physical development

1.5.2 Epistemology

Definition: The branch of philosophy concerned with the nature, sources, and validity of knowledge.

Epistemological Questions	Educational Implications
How do we acquire knowledge?	Determines teaching methods
What are the sources of knowledge?	Influences curriculum design
What constitutes valid knowledge?	Affects assessment and evaluation
What is the role of experience vs. reason?	Shapes learning approaches

 

Sources of Knowledge and Educational Methods:

1.     Sensory Experience → Observation, experimentation, field trips

2.     Reason → Logic, mathematics, philosophical discussion

3.     Intuition → Meditation, reflection, creative activities

4.     Authority → Textbooks, expert lectures, traditional knowledge

5.     Revelation → Religious education, spiritual practices

1.5.3 Axiology

Definition: The branch of philosophy dealing with values, including ethics (moral values) and aesthetics (beauty values).

Sub-branches:

1.     Ethics (Moral Philosophy)

·       Deals with right and wrong

·       Influences moral education and character development

·       Shapes discipline and behaviour management

2.     Aesthetics

·       Concerns beauty and artistic values

·       Influences art education and creative expression

·       Shapes the environmental design of educational institutions

Educational Implications of Axiology:

Value Type	Educational Application
Moral Values	Character education, ethical decision-making
Aesthetic Values	Art appreciation, creative expression
Social Values	Citizenship education, community service
Intellectual Values	Critical thinking, scholarly pursuit
Spiritual Values	Religious education, meditation

1.6 Functions of Philosophy in Relation to Education

Primary Functions

1.     Normative Function

·       Provides ideals and standards for education

·       Sets educational goals and objectives

·       Defines what education ought to achieve

2.     Analytical Function

·       Examines educational concepts critically

·       Clarifies meanings of educational terms

·       Identifies inconsistencies in educational theories

3.     Speculative Function

·       Explores new possibilities in education

·       Develops innovative educational theories

·       Envisions future educational scenarios

4.     Synthesising Function

·       Integrates knowledge from various fields

·       Combines different educational approaches

·       Creates comprehensive educational frameworks

Specific Educational Functions

Function	Description	Example
Determines Aims	Philosophy sets educational goals	Idealism emphasizes self-realization
Guides Curriculum	Influences what should be taught	Pragmatism favors practical subjects
Shapes Methods	Affects how teaching occurs	Naturalism promotes learning by doing
Defines Teacher Role	Determines teacher's function	Realism sees teacher as guide
Influences Discipline	Affects classroom management	Existentialism favors self-discipline