Comparing Three Philosophies of Education Essay -- Education Historica

Comparing Three Philosophies of Education What is education? Education can be defined in one of four ways: 1. The activity of education carried on by teachers, schools and parents (or by oneself). 2. The process of being educated (or learning) which goes on in the student. 3. The result of numbers one and two. 4. The discipline or field of inquiry that studies or reflects on one, two and three and is taught in schools of education. Education is concerned with the cultivation of the inner resources of individual persons. At its best, it is always an informal, largely unstructured and even an unsystematic process, but the reality of education today is more concerned with examination success, which in turn leads to a spiritless routine. Education derives its reality and true purpose from connection with life. Aristotle, an Ionian Greek born in 384 B.C. had a distinct philosophy on education. Immanual Kant was a philosopher in the 18th century and had another unique view on education. John Dewey, the most modern of the three, gave us his philosophy on education in the 19th century. Three very different men, from three very different time periods, offering three different views on this topic of education The Greeks were the first to think philosophically about education. The problem of education, as the Greeks saw it, was that of the acquisition of something for which they used the word arete, or excellence. Aristotle was most interested in happiness as excellence. He believed that without a solid base of eudaimonia, or happiness, nothing can be learned. But what is happiness? Some say it is pleasure, some honor, some money making, and for some contemplation. Aristotle believes that happiness is an activi... ...eaching. To quote from Kant’s lectures for 1765-66, â€Å"he is to learn, not thoughts, but thinking; he must be guided, not carried, if he is to be able to walk by himself later.† Educators must be aware of the need not to learn philosophy of education, but instead learn how to philosophize. Kant and Dewey agree that the best way to do this is to do it. To generalize Aristotle, as we become just by doing just acts, so we acquire any disposition by doing the corresponding acts, and we become philosophers by doing philosophical acts. Education is so important in our culture, and most think that the USA is behind on educational methods. I challenge you to take this paper a step further, read about these and other philosophers, and see what you learn. It simply amazed me and I just touched on what I saw as the highlights of these philosophers, now it’s your turn!