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This chapter discusses what is philosophy and the branches of philosophy such as
metaphysics, epistemology, ethics and logic. In each of these branches of philosophy,
philosophers ask different questions; but on many issues there is overlap in the branches
of philosophy. Also discussed are the benefits of studying philosophy and its relationship
to many different job types and careers and the philosophy of education. The final part of
the chapter discusses briefly the Malaysian philosophy of education.




Chapter Overview

o What is philosophy?
o Branches of philosophy
o Why study philosophy?
o What is the philosophy of
education?
o Malaysian Philosophy of
Education


References

Upon completion of this chapter, you should be able to:
define what is philosophy
identify the branches of philosophy
explain the importance of studying philosophy
explain what is philosophy of education
relate the Malaysian Philosophy of Education to educational practice

Chapter 1:
Philosophy & the Malaysian Philosophy of
Education

Chapter 2:
Socrates and Plato

Chapter 3:
Al-Farabi and Ibnu Sina

Chapter 4:
Jean Rousseau and John Locke

Chapter 5:
Confucius and Mencius

Chapter 6:
Paulo Freire and Friedrich Froebel

Chapter 7:
John Dewey

Chapter 8:
Rabindranath Tagore and Vivekananda

Chapter 9:
Other Philosophical Traditions
Chapter 1: Introduction


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What is Philosophy?

Most people find it difficult to define it what is philosophy as there is no
single definition that can be readily accepted without some controversy. Perhaps that
is why it is called philosophy! The word philosophy means love of wisdom which
comes from the Greek word philos meaning friendship or love) and sophia meaning
wisdom. Some people say philosophy is too abstract and even controversial.
Philosophers themselves can't agree on any answer. Sure, the name "philosophy"
means "love of wisdom", but what's that? There has been a long and glorious history
of people called philosophers, but they talk about all kinds of topics in all kinds of
ways. It is not clear what, if anything, they have in common that makes them all
philosophers. The following are some dictionary definitions

Dictionary.com defines philosophy as the rational
investigation of the truths and principles of being,
knowledge, or conduct.
American Heritage Dictionary defines philosophy
as the investigation of the nature, causes, or
principles of reality, knowledge, or values, based on
logical reasoning rather than empirical methods.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines philosophy as
the analysis of the grounds of and concepts
expressing fundamental beliefs such as reality and
values.


According to Professor Walter Sinnott-Armstrong (2008) philosophy asks the
question How it all fits together?. For example, if you want to learn about the
human body, take a course in physics or biology. If you want to learn about the
human mind, take a course in psychology. But if you want to learn about how the
mind and body are related, or how biology is related to psychology, then philosophy
is for you!

It has been remarked that you can study
anything under the name of philosophy. Philosophy
encompasses many subfields such as philosophy of
law, of economics, of biology, of physics, of
mathematics, of psychology, of art, of music, of
literature, and so on. Any and all of these topics can
be studied in a philosophical way when one asks how they are related to each other in
an overall world view.




Philosophic study means
the habit of always seeing
an alternative.
-William James

Chapter 1: Introduction


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Generally, philosophers deal with
speculative issues that are not subject to
investigation through experimental tests.
Hence, philosophy is more conceptual than
science. However, like scientists,
philosophers formulate hypotheses which
they attempt to answer though reasoning
and evidence. This differentiates philosophy
from poetry and mysticism, despite it not being a science.
There is an attempt to divide philosophy according to geographical region.
The broadest classification is dividing philosophy into the Western tradition and
Eastern tradition. In this course, we will examine both these traditions though the
division may be relatively arbitrary. Regardless of tradition, philosophers are always
engaged in asking questions, finding answers to these question on many basic issues
involving life.


Branches of Philosophy


The four main branches of philosophy are logic, epistemology, metaphysics, and
ethics:
Metaphysics is the study of the nature of things focusing on what exists in the
world, what it is like and how it is ordered. Among the questions asked are
o What is a person?
o What makes a person the same through time?
o Do people have minds? How do brains generate minds?
o How is the mind related to the body?
o Do people have free will?
o What is truth?
o What is beauty?

Epistemology is the study of knowledge itself and its origin. It is primarily
concerned with what we can know about the world and how we come to know
it. Typical questions of concern in epistemology are:
o What is knowledge?
o Do we know anything at all?
o How do we know what we know?
o Can we be justified in claiming to know certain things?

Ethics is the study of the nature of right and wrong, and good and evil,
forming the foundations of morality, and the fine details of moral conduct. For
example, a moral philosopher may ask whether or not a rape victim should

All men by nature desire to know...
It is owing to their wonder that men
both now begin and at first began to
philosophize.
-Aristotle

Chapter 1: Introduction


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have the right to get an abortion. Ethics is concerned with what we ought to do
and what it would be best to do. The questions asked are:
o What is good? What makes actions or people good?
o What is right? What makes actions right?
o I s morality objective or subjective?
o How should I treat others?

Logic is the exploration of the structure of argument and the extraction of
knowledge from evidence. Logic is one of the primary tools philosophers use
in their inquiries; the precision of logic helps them to cope with the subtlety of
philosophical problems and the often misleading nature of conversational
language. Logicians ask such questions as:
o What constitutes "good" or "bad" reasoning?
o How do we determine whether a given piece of reasoning is good or
bad?
Some philosophers may be involved in a 5
th
branch of philosophy which is
researching the works of other philosophers. These philosophers see great value in the
texts of thinkers as far back as the ancient Greeks, and study these texts both for their
philosophical insight and enjoyment. The aim is to understand the way in which
people have answered such questions in the past. In studying the history of philosophy
one explores the ideas of such Plato, Aristotle, Confucius, Kant, Rousseau, al-Farabi,
Tagore and others.
As you can already tell, the different branches of philosophy overlap one another.
For example, a philosopher who is trying to figure out whether people ought to give
everything they can spare to the poor is asking an ethical question. In asking this
question, he might wonder whether or not standards of right and wrong are built into
the fabric of the universe, which is a metaphysical question. If he claims that people
are justified in answering that question either way, he is making an epistemological
claim. At all steps of his reasoning, he will want to employ logic to ensure that he is
minimising the chance of making an error in reasoning. He may very well look to
some of the ethical writings of past philosophers to see how the most powerful
thinkers who came before him reasoned about the issue; i.e. giving to the poor.
Aspects of each branch of philosophy can be studied in isolation, but
philosophical questions have a way of leading to other philosophical questions, to the
point that a full investigation of any particular problem is likely eventually to involve
almost the whole of the philosophical enterprise.
Philosophical questions arise in almost every disciplines. For example, the issue
of ethics is of concern in disciplines such as economics, science, law, business and so
forth. This is why philosophy also encompassed such areas as:






Philosophy of Law
Philosophy of Economics
Philosophy of Science
Philosophy of Education
Philosophy of History
Philosophy of Language
Philosophy of Feminism
Philosophy of Politics

Chapter 1: Introduction


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Why Study Philosophy?

Since studying philosophy will not directly result in an ability to programme a
computer, manage a company, or diagnose and treat a disease, perhaps one might
wonder why it is worth studying at all? The answer is simple. While the study of
philosophy does not provide one with a particular set of "skills for a trade," the
lifelong benefits it inculcates are virtually limitless. Here are just a few. The study of
philosophy enhances ones ability in the following areas (Thomas, 2008):
Problem Solving Skills:
Philosophy is about asking difficult questions and developing answers which
can be reasonably and rationally defended against hard, sceptical questioning.
You need to learn how to analyse concepts, definitions and arguments in a
way that is conducive towards developing solutions for particular problems.
You will be more sure about your beliefs that are reasonable, consistent and
well-founded because they have been examined systematically and carefully.

Communication Skills:
A person who excels at communicating in the field of philosophy can also
excel at communication in other areas. When debating on an issue, you need
to express your ideas clearly and precisely, both in speaking and in writing.
Far too many problems in debates about many issues can be traced to
imprecise terminology, unclear concepts, and other issues that would be
overcome if people were better at communicating what they are thinking.

Self-Knowledge:
It isn't just a matter of better communication with others that is helped by the
study of philosophy understanding yourself is improved. The very nature of
philosophy is such that you get a better picture of what your beliefs simply by
working through your beliefs in a careful and systematic fashion.


1.1 LEARNING ACTIVITY
a) What is philosophy?
b) Discuss the difference between metaphysics, ethics,
epistemology and logic?
c) The different branches of philosophy overlap. Discuss
d) Most disciplines are involved in philosophical issues
Explain.


Chapter 1: Introduction


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Persuasive Skills:
The reason for developing problem solving and communication skills is not
simply to gain a better understanding of the world, but also to get others to
agree with that understanding. Good persuasive skills are thus important in the
field of philosophy because a person needs to defend her own views and to
offer insightful critiques of the views of others. It is obvious that it would be
difficult to persuade others on an issue if one lacks the skill for
communicating and explaining their positions.

These skills are essential in most jobs or careers. These skills can be readily
transferred to a wide variety of fields, not to mention things we do every day.
Anything which requires careful thinking, systematic reasoning, and an ability to ask
and address difficult questions will benefit from a background in philosophy.
Philosophy is not something for eggheads in universities. In fact philosophy
is for everyone. All of us engage in philosophy in one form or another because we are
philosophising creatures (Vuletic, 2006). Philosophy is about gaining a better
understanding of ourselves and our world. Since that is what humans naturally desire,
humans quite readily engage in philosophical speculation and questioning. Each of us
has some sort of philosophy and already "does" philosophy when we think about and
address issues which are fundamental to questions about life, meaning, society and
morality. We may never arrive at any final answers, but in many ways it is the
journey which is most important, not the destination.
Philosophy enables us to understand. Can one be happy if one goes through
life without questioning anything?. Philosophical inquiry, on the other hand, can be
disquieting, offering no guarantee that your hard work will yield the conclusions you
hope for. Even worse, philosophy gives you no guarantee that your investigations will
yield any conclusion at all: at the end of the day, you may find yourself not only
minus the certainties with which you began, but also with nothing else to put in their
place. If you do philosophy, you may well have to learn to live with perpetual
uncertainty, while others, in their ignorance, happily profess perfect knowledge of
things they do not understand at all. But it is clear who has the better life: far better to
understand, even if the main thing you understand is the limit of your own knowledge.









1.2 LEARNING ACTIVITY
a) What are the benefits of studying philosophy?
b) Can one be happy if one goes through life without
questioning anything? What do you think?



Chapter 1: Introduction


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What is Philosophy of Education?

Throughout the ages, various thinkers have been preoccupied with the most
important question in education; What should humans learn to live successfully in
society?. Many philosophers directly and indirectly dwelled on education. Hence,
philosophy of education has been described as the application of philosophical
methods to the theory and practice of education. Among the topics investigated in the
philosophy of education are the nature of learning, especially in children; the purpose
of education, particularly the question of whether the chief goal of educators should
be imparting knowledge, developing intellectual independence, or instilling moral or
political values (Britannica.com. 2006).

The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy (2005) describes philosophy of
education as the inquiry into the ideas that dominate educational theory and policy.
The central questions are what it is worthwhile or necessary to teach, and what are the
best ways of doing it. The answers to these questions have differed depending on
different views about human nature. For example, some philosophers viewed the
human mind as an empty pot that needs filling up while others disagree with his view
of the human mind, suggesting that humans have prior knowledge.

Philosophy of education is the study of the purpose, process, nature and ideals
of education. This can be within the context of education as a societal institution or
more broadly as the process of human existential growth, i.e. how it is that our
understanding of the world is continually transformed (be it from facts, social
customs, experiences, or even our own emotions).

Philosophy of Education deals with how
children should be educated, what they should be
educated in, and what the ultimate purpose of
education should be for society. This is an often
neglected field of philosophy and, when it is
addressed, it tends to only be in educational
programmes designed to train teachers In this
context, it is a part of pedagogy, which is learning
how to teach. For some philosopher, the
philosophy of education can often be tightly
integrated with theology and religious
indoctrination in order to instill religious values,
doctrines, and commitment at a young age.

Philosophy of education is concerned with the following questions: Do we
want our children to be educated for democracy or consumerism? Should children
learn by rote memorization or through creative problem solving? Does school exist to
teach values or skills for use in the job market? Because these decisions will affect the
course of society for decades to come, the questions asked are as important as those
found in any other branch.
The education of the
individual, in addition to
promoting his own innate
abilities, would attempt to
develop in him a sense of
responsibility for his
fellow-men in place of the
glorification of power and
success in our present
society. (Albert Einstein,
1949, On Education)
Chapter 1: Introduction


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MALAYSIAN PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION



The National Philosophy of Education (NPE) formulate in 1987 is the most important
statement guiding the goal of education in Malaysia.





Education is an on-going effort
A well-planned education system is able to equip students with the knowledge
and skills that will prepare them to adapt to changing situations throughout
their lives.

Developing the potential of individuals
Learners are endowed with different capabilities, talent and potential and it is
the role of education to develop these potentials. Education should seek to
provide opportunities that will nurture these talents and capabilities.

Balanced and harmonious
Balanced means individuals who not only possess knowledge and skills but
also have high moral values, emotionally and physically well-balanced and
have a firm belief in God.

Firm belief in and devotion to God
Belief in God translates to the universal core values of gratitude,
compassion/empathy, cooperation, courage, moderation, diligence, freedom,
honesty/integrity, justice, rationality, self-reliance, love, self-respect, public-
spiritedness, humility and modesty.

Possess high moral standards
Citizens who know good from bad and understand the consequences of bad
behaviour. Citizens who are spiritual, believe and practice the universal values
in daily lives.
Education in Malaysia is an on-going effort towards further developing
the potential of individuals in a holistic and integrated manner so as to
produce individuals intellectually, spiritually emotionally and physically
balanced and harmonious, based on a firm belief in and devotion to God.
Such as effort is designed to produce Malaysian citizens who are
knowledgeable, competent, who possess high moral standards, and who
are responsible and capable of achieving a high level of personal well-
being, as well as being able to contribute to the betterment of the family,
society and the nation at large.
- Ministry of Education Malaysia, 1987

Chapter 1: Introduction


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Contribute to the betterment of the family, society and the nation
Citizens who subscribe to the Rukun Negara and willing to defend the
constitution, are patriotic, tolerant and love their country.


REFERENCES

Philosophy Dictionary. The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy. Copyright 1994,
1996, 2005 by Oxford University Press

Encyclopdia Britannica, Inc. (2006) Chicago. Illinois.
http://corporate.britannica.com/about/index.html

Sinnott-Armstrong, W. (2008). What is Philosophy? Department of Philosophy.
Dartmouth College. http://www.dartmouth.edu/~phil/whatis/wsa.html

Thomas, W. (2008). Why Does Anyone Need a Philosophy? The Atlas Society.
Washington. DC.

Vuletic, M. (2006). The Nature of Philosophy. What is Philosophy?
http://www.vuletic.com/hume/ph/philosophy.html#f6