1 Foundations of American Education, Fifth Edition L. Dean Webb, Arlene Metha, & K. Forbis Jordan L. Dean Webb, Arlene Metha, & K. Forbis Jordan. Foundations of American Education, 5e. Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.

2 Chapter 3 The Major Philosophies PowerPoint Presentation L. Dean Webb, Arlene Metha, & K. Forbis Jordan. Foundations of American Education, 5e. Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.

3 What Is Philosophy? the love of wisdom and the search for it a personal philosophy of life a philosophy of education L. Dean Webb, Arlene Metha, & K. Forbis Jordan. Foundations of American Education, 5e. Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.

4 Branches of Philosophy Metaphysics asks, What is the nature of reality? Epistemology asks, What is the nature of knowledge? Axiology asks, What is the nature of values? L. Dean Webb, Arlene Metha, & K. Forbis Jordan. Foundations of American Education, 5e. Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.

5 Traditional Philosophies and Their Educational Implications These three share a belief in certain preestablished metaphysical truths. idealism realism neo-Thomism L. Dean Webb, Arlene Metha, & K. Forbis Jordan. Foundations of American Education, 5e. Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.

6 Idealism Metaphysics –mind over matter –the reality of the mind, soul, and spirit –nothing is real except for an idea in someone’s mind –a mental explanation for reality –mind and eternal ideas L. Dean Webb, Arlene Metha, & K. Forbis Jordan. Foundations of American Education, 5e. Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.

7 Idealism (continued) Epistemology –a mental grasp of ideas –inductive logic –deductive logic –reason –revelation –intuition –the search for a rational, orderly body of truth L. Dean Webb, Arlene Metha, & K. Forbis Jordan. Foundations of American Education, 5e. Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.

8 Idealism (continued) Axiology –order as a basic principle of values –a hierarchy of values –universal standards of moral behavior –values are absolute, eternal, and universal L. Dean Webb, Arlene Metha, & K. Forbis Jordan. Foundations of American Education, 5e. Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.

9 Idealism (continued) Leading proponents of idealism Plato Augustine Rene Descartes Immanuel Kant Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel L. Dean Webb, Arlene Metha, & K. Forbis Jordan. Foundations of American Education, 5e. Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.

10 Realism Metaphysics –the world of nature or physical things –the world is composed of matter (body) and form (mind) –a person is a sensing, rational being –reality is external and it can be verified L. Dean Webb, Arlene Metha, & K. Forbis Jordan. Foundations of American Education, 5e. Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.

11 Realism (continued) Epistemology –perception –rational thinking –sensing –the scientific method –a logical, systematic approach to the discovery of knowledge (deductive logic) L. Dean Webb, Arlene Metha, & K. Forbis Jordan. Foundations of American Education, 5e. Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.

12 Realism (continued) Axiology –values are derived from nature –the importance of following natural or moral law –aesthetics is the reflection of nature L. Dean Webb, Arlene Metha, & K. Forbis Jordan. Foundations of American Education, 5e. Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.

13 Realism (continued) Leading proponents Aristotle Francis Bacon John Locke John Amos Comenius Jean-Jacques Rousseau Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi L. Dean Webb, Arlene Metha, & K. Forbis Jordan. Foundations of American Education, 5e. Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.

14 Neo-Thomism Metaphysics –God is the pure being –human beings are rational beings, with souls –human beings are modeled after God L. Dean Webb, Arlene Metha, & K. Forbis Jordan. Foundations of American Education, 5e. Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.

15 Neo-Thomism (continued) Epistemology –truths or revelations can be accepted on faith and reason –truths of science are arrived at by rational observation –the hierarchy of knowing: mystical analytical scientific L. Dean Webb, Arlene Metha, & K. Forbis Jordan. Foundations of American Education, 5e. Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.

16 Neo-Thomism (continued) Axiology –goodness follows reason –intellect is the perceiver of beauty Leading proponents Thomas Aquinas Augustine L. Dean Webb, Arlene Metha, & K. Forbis Jordan. Foundations of American Education, 5e. Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.

17 Contemporary Philosophies and Their Educational Implications These three share a belief that there are no preestablished truths. pragmatism or experimentalism existentialism analytic philosophy L. Dean Webb, Arlene Metha, & K. Forbis Jordan. Foundations of American Education, 5e. Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.

18 Pragmatism Metaphysics –meaning is derived from experience –reality is an event or process –reality lacks absolutes and it is subject to change –experience is the ultimate basis for human existence L. Dean Webb, Arlene Metha, & K. Forbis Jordan. Foundations of American Education, 5e. Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.

19 Pragmatism (continued) Epistemology –no truth is absolute determined by function –knowledge is arrived at by scientific inquiry –knowledge is never conclusive L. Dean Webb, Arlene Metha, & K. Forbis Jordan. Foundations of American Education, 5e. Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.

20 Pragmatism (continued) Axiology –values are tentative and constructed from experience –ethical conduct and a moral code are based on what works for the larger community –aesthetics are determined by shared experience between an artist and the public L. Dean Webb, Arlene Metha, & K. Forbis Jordan. Foundations of American Education, 5e. Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.

21 Pragmatism (continued) Leading proponents Auguste Comte Charles Darwin Charles Sanders Peirce William James John Dewey L. Dean Webb, Arlene Metha, & K. Forbis Jordan. Foundations of American Education, 5e. Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.

22 Existentialism Metaphysics –existence precedes essence –no world order; no natural scheme of things –the individual determines personal reality by choice L. Dean Webb, Arlene Metha, & K. Forbis Jordan. Foundations of American Education, 5e. Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.

23 Existentialism (continued) Epistemology –truth is known by choice –the individual is responsible for his or her own knowledge –freedom to choose carries responsibility L. Dean Webb, Arlene Metha, & K. Forbis Jordan. Foundations of American Education, 5e. Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.

24 Existentialism (continued) Axiology –values consist of personal choices –there is freedom to choose –there is freedom to value –no assurances of choosing correctly L. Dean Webb, Arlene Metha, & K. Forbis Jordan. Foundations of American Education, 5e. Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.

25 Existentialism (continued) Leading proponents Soren Kierkegaard Martin Buber Edmund Husserl Martin Heidegger John Paul Sartre John Holt Charles Silberman Jonathan Kozol A.S. Neill Nel Noddings L. Dean Webb, Arlene Metha, & K. Forbis Jordan. Foundations of American Education, 5e. Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.

26 Analytic Philosophy Logical Positivism - logical - empirical - principle of verification Linguistic Analysis Leading proponents Ludwig Wittgenstein Israel Scheffler L. Dean Webb, Arlene Metha, & K. Forbis Jordan. Foundations of American Education, 5e. Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc.