1. Introduction
Just as there are general aims for all education, there are general purposes that represent the long-range ends or aspirations of men in general with respect to education. The philosophy of education begins with an understanding of the purpose of education. The search for a definition of education confronts the educational philosopher as he begins his philosophic exploration with a cluster of verifiable facts. Once the verifiable facts have been identified, the question then is raised about which of these facts are to be the focus of just thought. It is precisely these facts that provide the primary orientation for philosophy of education while they are to be found in these historical experiences. Consequently, the philosophy of education serves as a guide in all actions that affect the educational endeavor, permeating and directing them, even though philosophic thought does not actually achieve solutions in real life situations but only sets the directions and offers guidelines. In historical sequences that span many centuries, many different interpretations of what is real and what is valuable emerge. Moreover, individual thinkers of great variety have made profound contributions to the development of mankind as they lived during the various eras or contemplated from the distant past. These profound contributions help to maintain and shape the quality of the human condition. Consequently, it is essential that the philosophy of education reflects these moments of clashing and conflict so that the educational heritage can truly be understood. Only by selecting facts from the broad cultural scenario is it possible to isolate those features that constitute the enduring elements needed to shape the broad, precise definition of education. In this way, education can be designed simultaneously in three elements that comprise it: cognitive education, moral education, and aesthetic education, free from ideological distortions.
1.1. Definition of Philosophy of Education
The term 'philosophy of education' can be understood differently. Part of the confusion stems from the fact that the term is not actually explained but conveys an impression that matters of educational policy and practice, according to established theories of philosophy, are involved. First, as a field of philosophy, it refers to the philosophical study of education. That is, although some educational philosophers make use of established philosophies, such as Greek, others do not readily fit into any of those schools. Second and related, it is distinguished from educational philosophy or philosophy of teaching, which, in their description, think more with educational processes. The field may, however, address such subjects to consider all three matters, which are closely bound up with one another. Understanding that the term refers to philosophy's significance sets the stage for considering what the term means and, in the process, how to distinguish it from philosophy in two specific senses. The term is used to denote accounts of the nature, purpose, and criteria of education and attempts to understand and justify them. Arguably, the philosophy of education, like other fields of philosophical inquiry, subjects its subject matter to rational scrutiny. Therefore, attempts to ascertain how far the principles that such investigations yield apply to practical situations. But in examining the forms that education takes, the ends and means that it pursues, the relationships between individual and social development, and the criteria by which educational values may be assessed, it is concerned to provide careful argument, comprehensive knowledge, and critical assessment of the religious and other beliefs that help to motivate and inform educational practice.
2. Historical Foundations
History of every science, including the philosophy of education, can tell us not only about the past, but also about the people who cultivated it. Most importantly, the history of the philosophy of education will help to determine the patterns of its origin, changes, and prospects for further development. Asking and solving the problems of education, teachers often turn to the method of historical analysis, the rich experience of pedagogical traditions, and the thoughts and actions of the predecessors in this field. Since the past historical experience, being exemplary, gives life the fates of people and makes it, as E. Yanovskaya said so aptly, "reliable and understandable." The history of pedagogical knowledge originated in the ancient period, like the history of the philosophy of education. Prehistoric education cannot be called a philosophical question, but when the first states were formed and information was processed, living conditions improved, the mind became the subject of reflection, specifying priorities and values, one could talk about the emergence of pedagogical knowledge and the formation of the philosophy of education. However, without the periodization of the educational process, it cannot give an adequate answer to the question under study - the essence of pedagogical theory. At least, the prehistory of education should force us to trace the tendency to limit ancient and modern philosophical and pedagogical theory to a number of fixed postulates and short lists of problems that are explicitly acknowledged. Philosophers are ashamed to reconsider and identify these postulates and problems anew and clearly reflect our needs. Today, this need is provided by the philosophy of education.
2.1. Ancient Philosophers and Education
Philosophy questions the basic assumptions about knowledge, reality, and values rather than simply taking for granted the conclusions reached by the special sciences. It reflects on the assumptions and conclusions of such sciences as astronomy, physics, biology, psychology, and history, recognizing their common presuppositions while questioning the ultimate foundations upon which they rest. The earliest philosophers were educators also—often the spiritual teachers of their people, as in India and later in ancient Greek civilization. Their philosophies of existence, of knowledge, or of right and wrong were acceptable because of their teachings about nature, humanity, the Gods, or death. In India, more than three thousand years ago, some of the greatest teachers of humanity set forth, in classical Indian terms, the very problems that increasingly preoccupied Western philosophers. Confucius exhorted his disciples to think systematically about morality; Lao Tzu investigated the ultimate character of the Dao, or Way; Mencius identified the four forms of government; Sun Tzu analyzed the processes of war; Mo Tzu advocated universal love; and Shang Yang challenged the accepted tradition. In ancient Greece, Pythagoras started to philosophize systematically about number and was its first exponent, Heracl*tus formulated the first theory of mental elements and processes, Democritus developed a sophisticated atomic hypothesis of nature, and Socrates explored problems of duty. The first schools of philosophy—the Epicureans, the Stoics, the Skeptics, and later the Christians and the Neoplatonists—investigated the fundamental nature of what one may know, what one ought to do, and what the virtue of a good life might be. In the process, two main branches of philosophy were distinguished: the high theory of form and logic as Plato and Aristotle dealt with it and the low theory of life and language as the Sophist and Epicurean investigated it.
3. Key Theories and Concepts
Unlike the theory of instruction, which typically loses the larger perspective of the purpose of education, the philosophy of education guides all principles and decisions in a school. The challenge to a philosophy of education is to solve the issues of guidance and discipline: What should be taught, and by what methods? How should young people learn? How does what educators believe about these matters be translated into principles or procedures of instruction? How does the school act, and why does it act in the manner in which it does? In order to be identified as a philosophical theory, all these interconnection problems faced by school leaders must have explicit justification and values underlying its principles and solutions. Such justifications are the components of a philosophy of education. The essence of both a strong school and sound educational decision making is to rely on all practice, both regular and special, upon a sound philosophy of education. This is to say that it is theoretically justified and purposeful, that it is logically consistent with the purpose of education itself, and that it is emotionally preferred, because the values of the philosophical theory are commonly held. Promoting these relationships is the task of the philosophy of education. It guides us, so that we are concerned generally with not goals such as socialization or vocational development, but with individuals in educational settings—our students. Additionally, we rely upon a certain rigor concerning how our ideas about students and their development derive from other, more fundamental matters pertaining to knowledge, reality, and truth.
3.1. Idealism in Education
Idealism is a time-honoured philosophy because it adheres to a very important human attitude: that there is more in the universe than we observe. It is based on the idea that the ultimate reality of the world is intellectual or spiritual. To the idealist, man's educational mission is one of his greatest concerns. To him, education is essentially spiritual. Spiritual culture plays an important part in his educational philosophy. Every individual born into this world should take an inventory of himself, realize the facts about life and mind, and contribute with his own powers to the improvement of life. The metaphysical and spiritual knowledge are his special concerns. For the problem of life, with its attendant difficulties, a true knowledge of the over-world is essential. He knows that ultimate reality exists and that reality is absolute and eternal, and that man is a spirit dwelling in the finite. He has knowledge of God, soul, and nature, and this true knowledge is legitimate. The aim of education then is to liberate individuals from materialism, despair, and ignorance, which deter the revelation of truth and belief in the spiritual world. It should help in the unfoldment of spiritual being into truth, beauty, and goodness, which is realized as intellectual and artistic activity of man, as realization of law, order, and harmony.
4. Contemporary Applications
A. Erotic and Agapic Aspects Theiasis is very erotic, but not in the prurient sense the word usually carries. I am using it in the sense of being seriously interested in everything about what we take to be the precious and irreplaceable Other. The prefix erotic and its implied conjunction with the valued entities point to our deep, pervasive, and never wholly bridged reliance on "sparks" of meaning and motivation originating from outside. By its very etymology, the word can have no literal application in solipsistic contexts, though in philosophy par excellence these caveats are often forgotten. According to ancient astrological beliefs, celestial bodies emitted streams of very fine "souls" that entered into creatures upon being born. Human beings were unique since their bodies alone could contain these souls and their faculties, whereas the bodies of other creatures could only hold ovipected "animated bees." The eidos of these "human souls" corresponded to the bodies of the celestial bodies, where they originated and to which they strove to return. Cities and civilizations followed the times of birth of such "celestial bodies". B. The Elective Aspect It must be obvious by now that if philosophy education is chiefly a matter of helping others "enchant" themselves, then no external T come, however carefully wrought, will do. For enchantment to occur, the enchanted must approach those territories, begin to feel at home there, and in the doing become conscious of new capacities. When so much depends on the apprentice's inventive and courageous strivings, then clearly, the role of the (ice in philosophy education becomes an elective one: it is effectively transformed into what John Dewey once called "specialized experience." The two favorite metaphors, the "firing" of the kiln and the "initiation" of the neophyte, encapsulate these propositions. Each in its own way requires the agent to trust and respect both the Otherness of the apprentice. She is a precious, unrecyclable dewdrop of the universe. Concomitantly, as Meaning seldom descends from heaven "in the convenient form of ready-made prefabricated packets," it often takes the form of something that is discovered, rather than produced. The teacher can only hope to exploit, in the best sense of that word, the essay prepared by Aristotle—and which she then does—wowicle the student until the latter is sufficiently "matured".
4.1. Philosophical Frameworks in Educational Practices
Philosophers help in both the arrangement and fine-tuning of our educational goals, curricula, and pedagogical practices. Epistemology, especially its branches like foundationalism, constructivist theory, and fallibilism, fosters a learning culture with an emphasis on encouraging a spirit of philosophical inquiry, respect for diverse viewpoints, better critical thinking, and better procedures of decision-making in dealing with both intrinsic and extrinsic factors in our learning endeavors. Philosophy helps in laying the foundation of a community of inquiry pedagogical approach. Learning in a democratic environment should be based not only on the quest for justification, which is the philosophical foundation of epistemology, but also the search for conversational and dialogic intelligence in subjects where pure knowledge does not provide clear and unambiguous answers. Philosophical inquiry and learning, when marked by sensitivity for other persons and the quest for socially responsible action, can lead to a better understanding and appreciation of the rich plurality of beliefs, motivations, and rationales that are the essential constituents of a democratic society. In summary, philosophy helps in the organization and fine-tuning of educational goals, curricula, and pedagogical practices that foster an understanding and appreciation of the guiding principles, which collectively can lead to the growth and development of a human being into personhood. Educational practices must promote the quest for self-realization, the grand purpose of life, which is to be free, rational members, striving for completeness through action in a free and rational community. It is the essence of freedom, an essential condition for being. Essential components of personhood are generally nurtured by moral values and sensitivity. Philosophical study gives us moral principles and enriches our lives personally, socially, and politically by cultivating our attitudes, dispositions, and consciousness. There rests both an ethical and an aesthetic responsibility on society and its educational practices in promoting the growth and development of the authenticity and originality of a human being. The purpose of education, therefore, is not only to nourish the current focus and the dynamic constitutions at a given moment in the individual's life for the purpose of making them more adaptive to prevalent social interests. Rather, the true purpose is to assist and make them capable through moral and performance activities that help in influencing the changing roles and purposes of a good society.
5. Challenges and Future Directions
Philosophy of education as a discipline often faces many challenges. As a first challenge, the field has developed significantly from the very beginning of the 20th century and is still under development. Since deliberating on every aspect of education stakeholders has been awarded, or 'punished,' to the academic members, philosophy of education should deal with problems reflection of which does not limit with the academic laws but confronts the complexity of the educational world. As a second challenge, philosophy of education increasingly has problems to find answers to the questions of education and discover problems that possess relevance public communication. Since the academic members are imprisoned in their own world, the progress of the discipline and discussing its future become a step to philosophical alienation. Consequently, the questions has been rose about the nature and requirements of reasonable curricula within the context of a suitable education theory. Most of the people take for granted that present curriculum mostly serves for the interests of power groups. If the relationship of curricula with social life as Kruglanski articulates, becomes exponential, we have to consider two questions: Is there an active relationship of curricula with social life? If yes, who does this relationship power? What is the function of basic rights education, equality, and the role of the individual and the community on this basis? Also the question of a multicultural form of education is raised on the basis of current curriculum structure. Given the fact that most of the literature about the limits of academic freedom fails to balance basic rights, the lack of which is to be protected, the literature like Trachtman's or similar works about the purpose of school curriculum through the First Amendment is seemingly important. However, in ethical and political perspective, first question arises: what is just to teach? The second delves into these matters: is there a proper wisdom, which requires teaching and studying a certain subject matter? What do we want to achieve through the curriculum?
5.1. Ethical Considerations in Educational Philosophy
The important duty of the philosophy of education is to examine, from an ethical point of view, the meaning of education, which is quite essential in human life and society, and emphasize the fundamental principles of education. These principles are: (1) Minor differences in ethical standards in communities and countries; (2) Major needs for universal principles; (3) The right manner of moral teachings. Regarding the reliability of ethical standards in relation to the cultures and beliefs, we have to admit the superiority, to some extent, of our ethical standards over the beliefs of cultures and religions. Generalization of the fundamental theories of justice, responsibility, criticism, and tolerance is possible, and such generalization is regarded as the strength of the "Justice" theory. The evaluation of the moral quality of a person includes 4 elements: (1) Ethical knowledge; (2) Moral motivation; (3) Moral deeds; (4) Inner moral qualities of a person. A person possessing all of these 4 elements is a person of good moral quality. The required ethical knowledge and moral motivation can directly be achieved through educational activities. So, the evaluation of the success of educational activities should be associated with these achievements of ethical knowledge and moral motivation. Characteristics of morality affecting the contents of education can be listed as the individuals of moral affections and conscience. Being aware of and deeply affected by matters of moral conscience, morality is the value basis and range of the motives of morale.
6. Conclusion
Philosophy of education engages scholars in discussion and confrontation of basic, fundamental issues of conception of education. It applies significant philosophical methods of analysis and synthesis to put forward purposeful arguments and explanations. The problem of the content, structure, and functions of education, as well as the tasks and activities of the subjects of education, and the criteria for the theory and practice of education are the focus of attention in the philosophy of education. A special place among the problems of the theory of education is occupied by specific questions such as the correlation of factors and conditions of education, the relationship of pedagogical technologies and life-world contexts, the question of what is primary - readiness of the individual, education, focus, the question of method, and the like. Hence, the philosophy of education is conceptualized as a theoretical philosophical knowledge of the essence of education. It is characterized by a categorical apparatus, methods, and methods of the theory of knowledge, applied with a focus on the educational process. It emphasizes the value and importance of the goal and universal criteria of the setting, regardless of national, cultural, religious, and historical peculiarities of certain social and humanitarian communities. Its research subjects are relevant and significant problems of education, and its research interest is aimed at exemplary, ideal design of the education of generations based on the principles of wisdom, understanding, and cooperation.
