Foundations are the basis for curriculum developing process. Philosophical foundation provides teachers, educators, and curriculum makers a framework for planning, implementing and evaluating curriculum in schools. It facilitates in answering what schools are for, what subjects are important, how students should learn and what materials and methods should be used? Philosophy provides the starting point in decision-making, and is used for the succeeding decision-making. Educational Philosophies lays the strong foundation of any curriculum. A curriculum planner or specialist, implementer or the teacher, school heads, evaluator anchors his/her decision making process on a sound philosophy.
Curriculum is used for the modification of the behavior of the students and philosophy helps in the process of finding new ways and basis for teachers and curriculum planner to modify their behavior. Philosophy also helps in the exploring new methods of teaching and how to apply in the classroom situation for better achievement of the teaching learning process. It also provides new ways and methods for the evaluation of student’s achievement and evaluation of curriculum.
Philosophers of the past have made major influence in clarifying the association in the nature of knowledge and curriculum development process and also provide a foundation for curriculum. Today the world economics and societies are changing very rapidly. Therefore, the emphasis on finding new ways through which man develops new concepts of reality and knowledge and to form a new structure of knowledge in this dynamic and changing time therefore a high value is given to discovery, invention and restructuring of knowledge and curriculum in new patterns. Now the new curriculum is open to new experiences, logical and critical thinking, and to bring about the concept of knowledge out of interpreted experience.
Philosophy and ideology of education provide rules and principles which lead decision-making regarding educational practices and polices planning. It Guides the curriculum planner on the basses of the philosophical and ideological belief of the society in the constructing of subject matter keeping in view the future demands and needs of the schools and help in the promoting of human life through social change in the behavior of the students.
The contemporary philosophies support social theory for a philosophy of education, training students to be independent and critical thinkers. The contemporary philosophies lay stress on schools to play a central role in the life of students and the community. Educational institutions must function as a bridge between teachers, students, parents, the business community, and politicians. The contemporary philosophies emphasize that curriculum must address the emotional and physical needs of students, providing them with a balance of social and technical skills. Therefore curriculum planner must introduce such curriculum in education system, which inculcate true knowledge and preserve the culture of society in new generation.
PERENNIALISM
Adler (1902- 2001) was an American philosopher and educator, and a proponent of Educational Perennialism. He believed that one should teach the things that one deems to be of perpetual importance. He proposed that one should teach principles, not facts, since details of facts change constantly. And since people are humans, one should teach them about humans also, not about machines, or theories.
He argues that one should validate the reasoning with the primary descriptions of popular experiments. This provides students with a human side to the scientific discipline, and demonstrates the reasoning in deed.
Progressivism
In progressivism, the focus of curriculum is based on students interests,
involves the application of human problems and affairs; interdisciplinary
subject matter; activities and projects. Progressivism placed heavy emphasis
on activity-based curriculum relevant curriculum, humanistic curriculum and
radical school reform or romantic curriculum.Very few schools adopt a single
philosophy, in practice, most schools combine various philosophies.
Curriculum workers need to provide assistance in developing and designing
school practices that coincide with the philosophy of the school and
community. Teaching, learning, and curriculum are all interwoven in our
school practices and should reflect a school philosophy. It is important, then,
for school people, especially curriculum, to make decisions and take action in
relation to the philosophy of their school and community.
Essentialism
Essentialism emphasizes academic subject-centred curriculum consisting of
essential skills (three R’s.) and essential subjects (English, science, history,
math). Essentialism advocates fundamentals or mastery of essential skills and
facts that form the basis of the subject matter.
DECONSTRUCTIONISM
That word can only refer to other words; and attempts to demonstrate how statements about any text weaken their own meanings. Derrida's thinking was influenced by the Phenomenologist’s Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger. Although the early work of Derrida's was mainly an elaborate critique of the limitations of Phenomenology. He also claimed that Friedrich Nietzsche was a forerunner of Deconstruction in form and substance. The term “Deconstructionism” has been used by others to describe Derrida's particular methods of “textual criticism”, which involve discovering, recognizing and understanding the underlying assumptions (unspoken and implicit), ideas and frameworks that form the basis for belief and thought. Deconstructionism is not destructive at all, but rather simply a question of being alert to the implications, historical deposits of the language we use. In other words, deconstruction seeks to peel away the multiple, layered connotations and meanings of language and thought to get at the meanings underneath the shallow interpretations of normal analysis. Without deconstruction, we cannot make way for new and different ways of thinking. The English Departments in US higher education included deconstruction as a major literary theory. Deconstruction subsequently affected literary interpretation and analytical philosophy. The result was a profound change in understanding. While language itself may be endlessly self-referential, it is still possible to continue thinking linguistically, grammatalogically but only with uncertainty. Thereby, all meanings are destabilised and better understandings are those which acknowledge this instability in meaning. In other words, deconstruction aims at revealing the differences in concepts. Deconstruction is aneffort to crack open the nut, to go beyond the boundary, to disrupt the presence and allow the other as difference to come about. Deconstruction aims at exposing the fallacy of any metaphysics of presence and identity. Deconstruction, therefore, according to Derrida is to put a concept “under erasure” (sous rature). It is to write a word, cross it out, and then print both the word and the deletion. It is so, because the word or signifier does not contain the full meaning. The full meaning is not present. Hence, the word is inadequate. To place a word under erasure, therefore, is to say that the meaning signified by the words which we use cannot easily be pinned down. Meaning and essence can never be fully present in any one sign. This implies that meanings have histories of textual relations. All meanings are necessarily occupied by residual traces of other meanings. No meaning is ever simply present or present; every meaning is derived from and owes its significance to meanings that exceed the immediacy of any setting. With the question of meaning there is, therefore, always a difference, an occurrence of difference. The basic assumptions of deconstruction can, therefore, be said to be the following: • That language is ineradicably marked by instability and indeterminacy of meaning; • That given such instability and indeterminacy, no method of analysis can have any special claim to authority as regards textual interpretation;
• That interpretation is, therefore, a free-ranging activity more akin to game-playing than to analysis.
PRAGMATISM
The word Pragmatism has Greek roots (pragma, matos = deed, from prassein = to do).Pragmatism means action, from which the words practical and practice have come. In late 19th century American philosophy, the focus is on the reality of experience. Unlike the Realists and Rationalists, Pragmatists believe that reality is constantly changing and that we learn best through applying our experiences and thoughts to problems, as they arise. The universe is dynamic and evolving, a "becoming" view of the world. There is no absolute and unchanging truth, but rather, truth is what works. Pragmatism is derived from the teaching of Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914), who believed that thought must produce action, rather than linger in the mind and lead to indecisiveness.
It is the product of practical experiences of life. It arises out of actual living. It does not believe in fixed and eternal values. It is dynamic and ever-changing. It is a revolt against Absolutism. Reality is still in the making. It is never complete.
For pragmatists, only those things that are experienced or observed are real. John Dewey (1859-1952) applied pragmatist philosophy in his progressive approaches. He believed that learners must adapt to each other and to their environment. Schools should emphasize the subject matter of social experience. All learning is dependent on the context of place, time, and circumstance. Different cultural and ethnic groups learn to work cooperatively and contribute to a democratic society. The ultimate purpose is the creation of a new social order. Character development is based on making group decisions in light of consequences.
For Pragmatists, teaching methods focus on hands-on problem solving, experimenting, and projects, often having students work in groups. Curriculum should bring the disciplines together to focus on solving problems in an interdisciplinary way. Rather than passing down organized bodies of knowledge to new learners, Pragmatists believe that learners should apply their knowledge to real situations through experimental inquiry. This prepares students for citizenship, daily living, and future careers.
The key characteristics of pragmatism in education are to apply personal or realistic experiences to a subject to make it more relatable. The curriculum should incorporate the necessary activities, vocation and experiences. Preparing students for adult life through group activities centered around hands on exploration. The pragmatist lays down standards which are attainable. Pragmatists are practical people.
The emphasis of pragmatism is on action rather than on thought. Thought is subordinated to action. It is made an instrument to find suitable means for action. That is why pragmatism is also called Instrumentalism. Ideas are tools. Thought enlarges its scope and usefulness by testing itself on practical issues.Since pragmatism advocates the experimental method of science, it is also called Experimentalism thus stressing the practical significance of thought. Experimentalism involves the belief that thoughtful action is in its nature always a kind of testing of provisional conclusions and hypotheses.
In the present world pragmatism has influenced education tremendously. It is a practical and utilitarian philosophy. It makes activity the basis of all teaching and learning. It is activity around which an educational process revolves.
It makes learning purposeful and infuses a sense of reality in education. It makes schools into workshops and laboratories. It gives an experimental character to education. Pragmatism makes man optimistic, energetic and active. It gives him self-confidence. The child creates values through his own activities.
According to pragmatism, education is not the dynamic side of philosophy as advocated by the idealists. It is philosophy which emerges from educational practice. Education creates values and formulates ideas which constitute pragmatic philosophy.
Pragmatism is based on the psychology of individual differences. Pragmatists want education according to aptitudes and abilities of the individual. Individual must be respected and education planned to cater to his inclinations and capacities. But individual development must take place in social context. Every individual has a social self and individuality can best be developed in and through society.
Thus pragmatism has brought democracy in education. That is why it has advocated self-government in school. The children must learn the technique of managing their own affairs in the school and that would be a good preparation for life.
Education is preparation for life. Pragmatism makes a man socially efficient. The pragmatists are of the opinion that the children should-not be asked to work according to predetermined goals. They should determine their goals according to their needs and interests.
Teaching-learning process is a social and bi-polar process. Learning takes place as an interaction between the teacher and the taught. While idealism gives first place to the teacher, pragmatism gives the first place to the taught. Similarly, between thought and action, they give first place to action. The pragmatists decry verbalism and encourage action. Today pragmatism occupies the most dominant place in the United States of America.
According to pragmatism the theory and practice of education is based on two main principles, viz:
(i) Education should have a social function, and
(ii) Education should provide real-life experience to the child.
Pragmatism does not lay down any aims of education in advance. It believes that there can be no fixed aims of education. Life is dynamic and subject to constant change, andhence the aims of education are bound to be dynamic. Education deals with human life. It must help the children to fulfill their biological and social needs.
The only aim of education, according to pragmatism, is to enable the child to create values in his life. In the words of Ross, education must create new values: “the main task of educator is to put the educand into a position to develop values for himself’.
The pragmatist educator aims at the harmonious development of the educand physical, intellectual, social and aesthetic. The aim of education, therefore, is to direct “the impulses, interests, desires and abilities towards ‘the satisfaction of the felt wants of the child in his environment.”
Since the pragmatists believe that man is primarily a biological and social organism, education should aim at the development of social efficiency in man. Every child should be an effective member of the society. Education must fulfill his own needs as well as the needs of the society.
The children should be so trained that they may be able to solve their present-day problems efficiency and to adjust themselves to their social environment. They should be creative and effective members of the society. Their outlook should be so dynamic that they can change with the changing situations.
What pragmatism wants to achieve through education is the cultivation of a dynamic, adaptable mind which will be resourceful and enterprising in all situations, the mind which will have powers to create values in an unknown future. Education must foster competence in the children that they may be able to tackle the problems of future life.
EXISTENTIALISM
Existentialism in the broader sense is a 20th century philosophy that is centered upon the analysis of existence and of the way humans find themselves existing in the world. The notion is that humans exist first and then each individual spends a lifetime changing their essence or nature. The philosophical base of existentialism is “idealism and realism”.
In simpler terms, existentialism is a philosophy concerned with finding self and the meaning of life through free will, choice, and personal responsibility. The belief is that people aresearching to find out who and what they are throughout life as they make choices based on their experiences, beliefs, and outlook. And personal choices become unique without the necessity of an objective form of truth. An existentialist believes that a person should be forced to choose and be responsible without the help of laws, ethnic rules, or traditions.
The nature of reality for Existentialists is subjective, and lies within the individual. The physical world has no inherent meaning outside of human existence. Individual choice and individual standards rather than external standards are central. Existence comes before any definition of what we are. We define ourselves in relationship to that existence by the choices we make. We should not accept anyone else's predetermined philosophical system; rather, we must take responsibility for deciding who we are. The focus is on freedom, the development of authentic individuals, as we make meaning of our lives.
There are several different orientations within the existentialist philosophy. Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855), a Danish minister and philosopher, is considered to be the founder of existentialism. Another group of existentialists, largely European, believes that we must recognize the finiteness of our lives on this small and fragile planet, rather than believing in salvation through God. Our existence is not guaranteed in an afterlife, so there is tension about life and the certainty of death, of hope or despair. Unlike the more austere European approaches where the universe is seen as meaningless when faced with the certainty of the end of existence, American existentialists have focused more on human potential and the quest for personal meaning. Values clarification is an outgrowth of this movement. Following the bleak period of World War II, the French philosopher, Jean Paul Sartre, suggested that for youth, the existential moment arises when young person’s realize for the first time that choice is theirs, that they are responsible for themselves. Their question becomes "Who am I and what should I do?
Existentialism takes into consideration the underlying concepts:
Human free will
Human nature is chosen through life choices
A person is best when struggling against their individual nature, fighting for life
Decisions are not without stress and consequences
There are things that are not rational
Personal responsibility and discipline is crucial
Society is unnatural and its traditional religious and secular rules are arbitrary
Worldly desire is futile
Existentialism is broadly defined in a variety of concepts and there can be no one answers as to what it is, yet it does not support any of the following:
Wealth, pleasure, or honor make the good life
Social values and structure control the individual
Accept what is and that is enough in life
Science can and will make everything better
People are basically good but ruined by society or external forces
“I want my way, now!” or “It is not my fault!” mentalityThere is a wide variety of philosophical, religious, and political ideologies that make up existentialism so there is no universal agreement in an arbitrary set of ideals and beliefs. Politics vary, but each seeks the most individual freedom for people within a society.
One of the greatest criticism of Essentialism in Education is the fact that this idea stresses solely on teaching the traditional basic subjects to the maximum level, meaning there is less capacity to teach more contemporary and creative education and "manufacturing" students that do not think by themselves.
Contribution of essentialism to primary education has been greatly considered. It pinpoints the key importance of early childhood learning and how it is positively affected by essentialism. Essentialism states that a sound body of basic knowledge has to be attained before further learning can take place. Young students who develop a strong educational foundation can learn better at higher levels of school and college.
Curriculum is used for the modification of the behavior of the students and philosophy helps in the process of finding new ways and basis for teachers and curriculum planner to modify their behavior. Philosophy also helps in the exploring new methods of teaching and how to apply in the classroom situation for better achievement of the teaching learning process. It also provides new ways and methods for the evaluation of student’s achievement and evaluation of curriculum.
Philosophers of the past have made major influence in clarifying the association in the nature of knowledge and curriculum development process and also provide a foundation for curriculum. Today the world economics and societies are changing very rapidly. Therefore, the emphasis on finding new ways through which man develops new concepts of reality and knowledge and to form a new structure of knowledge in this dynamic and changing time therefore a high value is given to discovery, invention and restructuring of knowledge and curriculum in new patterns. Now the new curriculum is open to new experiences, logical and critical thinking, and to bring about the concept of knowledge out of interpreted experience.
Philosophy and ideology of education provide rules and principles which lead decision-making regarding educational practices and polices planning. It Guides the curriculum planner on the basses of the philosophical and ideological belief of the society in the constructing of subject matter keeping in view the future demands and needs of the schools and help in the promoting of human life through social change in the behavior of the students.
The contemporary philosophies support social theory for a philosophy of education, training students to be independent and critical thinkers. The contemporary philosophies lay stress on schools to play a central role in the life of students and the community. Educational institutions must function as a bridge between teachers, students, parents, the business community, and politicians. The contemporary philosophies emphasize that curriculum must address the emotional and physical needs of students, providing them with a balance of social and technical skills. Therefore curriculum planner must introduce such curriculum in education system, which inculcate true knowledge and preserve the culture of society in new generation.
PERENNIALISM
Adler (1902- 2001) was an American philosopher and educator, and a proponent of Educational Perennialism. He believed that one should teach the things that one deems to be of perpetual importance. He proposed that one should teach principles, not facts, since details of facts change constantly. And since people are humans, one should teach them about humans also, not about machines, or theories.
He argues that one should validate the reasoning with the primary descriptions of popular experiments. This provides students with a human side to the scientific discipline, and demonstrates the reasoning in deed.
Progressivism
In progressivism, the focus of curriculum is based on students interests,
involves the application of human problems and affairs; interdisciplinary
subject matter; activities and projects. Progressivism placed heavy emphasis
on activity-based curriculum relevant curriculum, humanistic curriculum and
radical school reform or romantic curriculum.Very few schools adopt a single
philosophy, in practice, most schools combine various philosophies.
Curriculum workers need to provide assistance in developing and designing
school practices that coincide with the philosophy of the school and
community. Teaching, learning, and curriculum are all interwoven in our
school practices and should reflect a school philosophy. It is important, then,
for school people, especially curriculum, to make decisions and take action in
relation to the philosophy of their school and community.
Essentialism
Essentialism emphasizes academic subject-centred curriculum consisting of
essential skills (three R’s.) and essential subjects (English, science, history,
math). Essentialism advocates fundamentals or mastery of essential skills and
facts that form the basis of the subject matter.
DECONSTRUCTIONISM
That word can only refer to other words; and attempts to demonstrate how statements about any text weaken their own meanings. Derrida's thinking was influenced by the Phenomenologist’s Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger. Although the early work of Derrida's was mainly an elaborate critique of the limitations of Phenomenology. He also claimed that Friedrich Nietzsche was a forerunner of Deconstruction in form and substance. The term “Deconstructionism” has been used by others to describe Derrida's particular methods of “textual criticism”, which involve discovering, recognizing and understanding the underlying assumptions (unspoken and implicit), ideas and frameworks that form the basis for belief and thought. Deconstructionism is not destructive at all, but rather simply a question of being alert to the implications, historical deposits of the language we use. In other words, deconstruction seeks to peel away the multiple, layered connotations and meanings of language and thought to get at the meanings underneath the shallow interpretations of normal analysis. Without deconstruction, we cannot make way for new and different ways of thinking. The English Departments in US higher education included deconstruction as a major literary theory. Deconstruction subsequently affected literary interpretation and analytical philosophy. The result was a profound change in understanding. While language itself may be endlessly self-referential, it is still possible to continue thinking linguistically, grammatalogically but only with uncertainty. Thereby, all meanings are destabilised and better understandings are those which acknowledge this instability in meaning. In other words, deconstruction aims at revealing the differences in concepts. Deconstruction is aneffort to crack open the nut, to go beyond the boundary, to disrupt the presence and allow the other as difference to come about. Deconstruction aims at exposing the fallacy of any metaphysics of presence and identity. Deconstruction, therefore, according to Derrida is to put a concept “under erasure” (sous rature). It is to write a word, cross it out, and then print both the word and the deletion. It is so, because the word or signifier does not contain the full meaning. The full meaning is not present. Hence, the word is inadequate. To place a word under erasure, therefore, is to say that the meaning signified by the words which we use cannot easily be pinned down. Meaning and essence can never be fully present in any one sign. This implies that meanings have histories of textual relations. All meanings are necessarily occupied by residual traces of other meanings. No meaning is ever simply present or present; every meaning is derived from and owes its significance to meanings that exceed the immediacy of any setting. With the question of meaning there is, therefore, always a difference, an occurrence of difference. The basic assumptions of deconstruction can, therefore, be said to be the following: • That language is ineradicably marked by instability and indeterminacy of meaning; • That given such instability and indeterminacy, no method of analysis can have any special claim to authority as regards textual interpretation;
• That interpretation is, therefore, a free-ranging activity more akin to game-playing than to analysis.
PRAGMATISM
The word Pragmatism has Greek roots (pragma, matos = deed, from prassein = to do).Pragmatism means action, from which the words practical and practice have come. In late 19th century American philosophy, the focus is on the reality of experience. Unlike the Realists and Rationalists, Pragmatists believe that reality is constantly changing and that we learn best through applying our experiences and thoughts to problems, as they arise. The universe is dynamic and evolving, a "becoming" view of the world. There is no absolute and unchanging truth, but rather, truth is what works. Pragmatism is derived from the teaching of Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914), who believed that thought must produce action, rather than linger in the mind and lead to indecisiveness.
It is the product of practical experiences of life. It arises out of actual living. It does not believe in fixed and eternal values. It is dynamic and ever-changing. It is a revolt against Absolutism. Reality is still in the making. It is never complete.
For pragmatists, only those things that are experienced or observed are real. John Dewey (1859-1952) applied pragmatist philosophy in his progressive approaches. He believed that learners must adapt to each other and to their environment. Schools should emphasize the subject matter of social experience. All learning is dependent on the context of place, time, and circumstance. Different cultural and ethnic groups learn to work cooperatively and contribute to a democratic society. The ultimate purpose is the creation of a new social order. Character development is based on making group decisions in light of consequences.
For Pragmatists, teaching methods focus on hands-on problem solving, experimenting, and projects, often having students work in groups. Curriculum should bring the disciplines together to focus on solving problems in an interdisciplinary way. Rather than passing down organized bodies of knowledge to new learners, Pragmatists believe that learners should apply their knowledge to real situations through experimental inquiry. This prepares students for citizenship, daily living, and future careers.
The key characteristics of pragmatism in education are to apply personal or realistic experiences to a subject to make it more relatable. The curriculum should incorporate the necessary activities, vocation and experiences. Preparing students for adult life through group activities centered around hands on exploration. The pragmatist lays down standards which are attainable. Pragmatists are practical people.
The emphasis of pragmatism is on action rather than on thought. Thought is subordinated to action. It is made an instrument to find suitable means for action. That is why pragmatism is also called Instrumentalism. Ideas are tools. Thought enlarges its scope and usefulness by testing itself on practical issues.Since pragmatism advocates the experimental method of science, it is also called Experimentalism thus stressing the practical significance of thought. Experimentalism involves the belief that thoughtful action is in its nature always a kind of testing of provisional conclusions and hypotheses.
In the present world pragmatism has influenced education tremendously. It is a practical and utilitarian philosophy. It makes activity the basis of all teaching and learning. It is activity around which an educational process revolves.
It makes learning purposeful and infuses a sense of reality in education. It makes schools into workshops and laboratories. It gives an experimental character to education. Pragmatism makes man optimistic, energetic and active. It gives him self-confidence. The child creates values through his own activities.
According to pragmatism, education is not the dynamic side of philosophy as advocated by the idealists. It is philosophy which emerges from educational practice. Education creates values and formulates ideas which constitute pragmatic philosophy.
Pragmatism is based on the psychology of individual differences. Pragmatists want education according to aptitudes and abilities of the individual. Individual must be respected and education planned to cater to his inclinations and capacities. But individual development must take place in social context. Every individual has a social self and individuality can best be developed in and through society.
Thus pragmatism has brought democracy in education. That is why it has advocated self-government in school. The children must learn the technique of managing their own affairs in the school and that would be a good preparation for life.
Education is preparation for life. Pragmatism makes a man socially efficient. The pragmatists are of the opinion that the children should-not be asked to work according to predetermined goals. They should determine their goals according to their needs and interests.
Teaching-learning process is a social and bi-polar process. Learning takes place as an interaction between the teacher and the taught. While idealism gives first place to the teacher, pragmatism gives the first place to the taught. Similarly, between thought and action, they give first place to action. The pragmatists decry verbalism and encourage action. Today pragmatism occupies the most dominant place in the United States of America.
According to pragmatism the theory and practice of education is based on two main principles, viz:
(i) Education should have a social function, and
(ii) Education should provide real-life experience to the child.
Pragmatism does not lay down any aims of education in advance. It believes that there can be no fixed aims of education. Life is dynamic and subject to constant change, andhence the aims of education are bound to be dynamic. Education deals with human life. It must help the children to fulfill their biological and social needs.
The only aim of education, according to pragmatism, is to enable the child to create values in his life. In the words of Ross, education must create new values: “the main task of educator is to put the educand into a position to develop values for himself’.
The pragmatist educator aims at the harmonious development of the educand physical, intellectual, social and aesthetic. The aim of education, therefore, is to direct “the impulses, interests, desires and abilities towards ‘the satisfaction of the felt wants of the child in his environment.”
Since the pragmatists believe that man is primarily a biological and social organism, education should aim at the development of social efficiency in man. Every child should be an effective member of the society. Education must fulfill his own needs as well as the needs of the society.
The children should be so trained that they may be able to solve their present-day problems efficiency and to adjust themselves to their social environment. They should be creative and effective members of the society. Their outlook should be so dynamic that they can change with the changing situations.
What pragmatism wants to achieve through education is the cultivation of a dynamic, adaptable mind which will be resourceful and enterprising in all situations, the mind which will have powers to create values in an unknown future. Education must foster competence in the children that they may be able to tackle the problems of future life.
EXISTENTIALISM
Existentialism in the broader sense is a 20th century philosophy that is centered upon the analysis of existence and of the way humans find themselves existing in the world. The notion is that humans exist first and then each individual spends a lifetime changing their essence or nature. The philosophical base of existentialism is “idealism and realism”.
In simpler terms, existentialism is a philosophy concerned with finding self and the meaning of life through free will, choice, and personal responsibility. The belief is that people aresearching to find out who and what they are throughout life as they make choices based on their experiences, beliefs, and outlook. And personal choices become unique without the necessity of an objective form of truth. An existentialist believes that a person should be forced to choose and be responsible without the help of laws, ethnic rules, or traditions.
The nature of reality for Existentialists is subjective, and lies within the individual. The physical world has no inherent meaning outside of human existence. Individual choice and individual standards rather than external standards are central. Existence comes before any definition of what we are. We define ourselves in relationship to that existence by the choices we make. We should not accept anyone else's predetermined philosophical system; rather, we must take responsibility for deciding who we are. The focus is on freedom, the development of authentic individuals, as we make meaning of our lives.
There are several different orientations within the existentialist philosophy. Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855), a Danish minister and philosopher, is considered to be the founder of existentialism. Another group of existentialists, largely European, believes that we must recognize the finiteness of our lives on this small and fragile planet, rather than believing in salvation through God. Our existence is not guaranteed in an afterlife, so there is tension about life and the certainty of death, of hope or despair. Unlike the more austere European approaches where the universe is seen as meaningless when faced with the certainty of the end of existence, American existentialists have focused more on human potential and the quest for personal meaning. Values clarification is an outgrowth of this movement. Following the bleak period of World War II, the French philosopher, Jean Paul Sartre, suggested that for youth, the existential moment arises when young person’s realize for the first time that choice is theirs, that they are responsible for themselves. Their question becomes "Who am I and what should I do?
Existentialism takes into consideration the underlying concepts:
Human free will
Human nature is chosen through life choices
A person is best when struggling against their individual nature, fighting for life
Decisions are not without stress and consequences
There are things that are not rational
Personal responsibility and discipline is crucial
Society is unnatural and its traditional religious and secular rules are arbitrary
Worldly desire is futile
Existentialism is broadly defined in a variety of concepts and there can be no one answers as to what it is, yet it does not support any of the following:
Wealth, pleasure, or honor make the good life
Social values and structure control the individual
Accept what is and that is enough in life
Science can and will make everything better
People are basically good but ruined by society or external forces
“I want my way, now!” or “It is not my fault!” mentalityThere is a wide variety of philosophical, religious, and political ideologies that make up existentialism so there is no universal agreement in an arbitrary set of ideals and beliefs. Politics vary, but each seeks the most individual freedom for people within a society.
One of the greatest criticism of Essentialism in Education is the fact that this idea stresses solely on teaching the traditional basic subjects to the maximum level, meaning there is less capacity to teach more contemporary and creative education and "manufacturing" students that do not think by themselves.
Contribution of essentialism to primary education has been greatly considered. It pinpoints the key importance of early childhood learning and how it is positively affected by essentialism. Essentialism states that a sound body of basic knowledge has to be attained before further learning can take place. Young students who develop a strong educational foundation can learn better at higher levels of school and college.
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