DEVELOPING A DEVELOPING A PHILOSOPHYPHILOSOPHY

Maurice M. Martinez

WESTERN PHILOSOPHYWESTERN PHILOSOPHY

PHILOSOPHY-THE LOVE OF WISDOM[FROM THE GREEK WORDS:PHILEIN=TO LOVE & SOPHIA=WISDOM]THREE BRANCHES:1. METAPHYSICS2. EPISTEMOLOGY3. AXIOLOGY

1. METAPHYSICS = WHAT IS REAL1. METAPHYSICS = WHAT IS REAL

COSMOLOGY = STUDY OF THE ORIGINS OF THE UNIVERSE (COSMOS)

ONTOLOGY = STUDY OFF THE NATURE OF BEING AND EXISTENCE

2. EPISTEMOLOGY = HOW DO 2. EPISTEMOLOGY = HOW DO WE KNOW?WE KNOW?THE STUDY OF THE NATURE AND SCOPE OF KNOWLEDGE AND WHETHER KNOWLEDGE IS POSSIBLE

3. AXIOLOGY = WHAT IS 3. AXIOLOGY = WHAT IS VALUABLE?VALUABLE? ETHICS = HOW ONE

SHOULD ACT; MORALITY; VIRTUE

AESTHETICSAESTHETICS = THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE UGLY

SENSORY; EMOTIONAL; VALUES;

MATTERS OF TASTE & SENTIMENT

5 CLASSIC PHILOSOPHIES & 5 CLASSIC PHILOSOPHIES & EDUCATIONAL THEORIESEDUCATIONAL THEORIESPHILOSOPHYIDEALISMREALISMPRAGMATISMEXISTENTIALISMPHILOSOPHICALANALYSIS

ED. THEORY•PERENNIALSIM•ESSENTIALISM•PROGRESSIVISM/RECONSTRUCTIONISM

•EXISTENTIALISM•PHILOSOPHICAL•ANALYSIS

IDEALISMIDEALISMIDEALISTS BELIEVE THAT REALITY

IS A WORLD OF MIND (“IF I DON’T SEE THE TREES, THEY MAY NOT BE THERE!”); THAT IDEAS THAT ARE LATENTLY PRESENT IN THE MIND ARE THE PATHWAYS TO TRUTH; THAT WISDOM IS ABSOLUTE AND ETERNAL AND CAN BE OBTAINED BEST THROUGH THE STUDY OF CLASSICS IN A LIBERAL ARTS EDUCATION; ENDURING IDEAS OF A DOMINANT CULTURE; GREAT BOOKS

REALISMREALISMREALISTS BELIEVE IN A

WORLD THAT IS EXTERNAL TO THE MIND [“THE TREES EXIST WHETHER YOUR MIND PERCEIVES THEM OR NOT”]. VALUES ARE ABSOLUTE AND ETERNAL BASED UPON RULES IN THE NATURAL LAW; MATTER EXISTS INDEPENDENT OF THE MIND; KNOWLEDGE IS OBTAINED THROUGH OBSERVATION, CATORIZATION OF FACTS AND THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD

PRAGMATISMPRAGMATISMPRAGMATISTS BELIEVE THAT

“WHAT WORKS IS REAL.” EVER-CHANGING SITUATIONS AND PROBLEMS CALL FOR INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS; LEARNING BY DOING; ACTIVE LEARNING; REALITY IS A WORLD OF EXPERIENCE;TRUTH IS VALIDATED AS USEFUL BY TESTING THE PRACTICAL CONSEQUENCES OF AN IDEA

EXISTENTIALISMEXISTENTIALISMEXISTENCE OF THE HUMAN

CONDITION PRECEEDS ESSENCE; FREE WILL: YOU ARE WHAT YOU CHOOSE TO BE;

TWO KINDS OF EXISTENTIALISM: CHRISTIAN = GOD EXISTS;

RULES [10 COMMANDMENTS] LIMIT FREE WILL

ATHEISTIC = THERE IS NO GOD HENCE NO RULES RESTRICTING FREE WILL

EXISTENTIALISM [cont]EXISTENTIALISM [cont]AFFECTIVE DOMAIN = EMOTIONS,

FEELINGS, SUBJECTIVITY, AESTHETICS [MUSIC, ART, THEATRE, LITERATURE, FILMMAKING…]

LIFE CONSISTS OF MAKING AUTHENTIC CHOICES, BUT KNOWING THAT EACH CHOICE HAS A CONSESEQUENCE ; ONE CANNOT BLAME ANY OTHER FOR SUCCESS OR FAILURE; YOUR FUTURE LIES IN YOUR OWN HANDS; YOU CAN BE ALL THAT YOU CAN BE IF YOU WISH AND WORK FOR IT.

PHILOSOPHICAL ANALYSISPHILOSOPHICAL ANALYSISEXAMINES THE “WHAT IS”, THE

WORDS USED TO DESCRIBE & DEFINE AN IDEA, TOPIC OR SITUATION. WORDS PROVIDE MEANINGS AND EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE TO DEFINE REALITY; SEEKS TO VERIFY TRUTH FROM THE GATHERING OF EXISTING LABELS OR WORD DESCRIPTIONS AND THE CLARIFICATION OF MEANINGS.

EDUCATIONAL THEORIESEDUCATIONAL THEORIESPERENNIALISM = BELIEVES IN

EVERLASTING TRUTHS, ETERNAL PRINCIPLES NOT DETAILS OF FACTS THAT CONSTANTLY CHANGE; TEACH THE 3Rs; CLASSICAL LIBERAL ARTS [LATIN, GREEK]; & NOT VOCATIONAL ARTS; TRUTH THROUGH REASONING; LITERARY ANALYSIS; ABSTRACT PRINCIPLES; LOGIC; TEACHER-CENTERED LEARNING; MENTAL DISCIPLINE FOR ITS OWN SAKE; ACADEMIC RIGOR.

ESSENTIALISMESSENTIALISMESSENTIALISTS ESSENTIALISTS DIFFER WITH

PERENNIALISTS IN THAT THEY ALLOW THE TEACHING OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION, FACTS, TECHNOLOGY THAT EVOLVES TO CHANGE HOW WE DO THINGS; EMPHASIZE THE 3Rs, “BACK TO BASICS”, MODERN LANGUAGES, NEW SKILLS THAT ENABLE A PERSON TO BE COMPETENT AND USEFUL; TEACHER AS [LAB] DEMONSTRATOR, NOT A KNOW-IT-ALL TEACHER-DIRECTED DICTATOR

PROGRESSIVISMPROGRESSIVISMEXPERIENCE OVER ROTE

MEMORIZATION; LEARN BY DOING; EDUCATE THE WHOLE CHILD [PIES]; HANDS-ON PROBLEM SOLVING LEARNING; SCIENTIFIC METHOD; SHARING: TEACHER AS FACILITATOR IN LEADING LEARNER TO DISCOVER SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS; GOAL OF DEMOCRATIC CITIZENSHIP

RECONSTRUCTIONISMRECONSTRUCTIONISMREBUILD SOCIETY BY

CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL PROBLEMS & PLAN FOR CORRECTION; RECOGNIZES THAT CONSTRUCTIVE CHANGE IS NECESSARY; ALLOWS FOR LEARNER TO BE A REBEL, TO SUGGEST WAYS TO RECONSTRUCT SOCIETY; TEACHER IS A CHANGE AGENT WHO NURTURES NEW IDEAS

EXISTENTIALISMEXISTENTIALISMAS AN EDUCATIONAL THEORY

IN PRACTICE, ONE FINDS THE FREEDOM OF CHOICE EXISTING IN MANY DIFFERENT SCHOOLS [FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING; FREE CHOICE OF SUBJECTS AND COURSES; NON-TRADITIONAL PRACTICES, FRIENDS SCHOOL, QUAKER SCHOOLS, BENNINGTON COLLEGE, CUNY BA…]

PHILOSOPHICAL ANALYSISPHILOSOPHICAL ANALYSISAS WITH EXISTENTIALISM,

PHILOSOPHICAL ANALYSIS EXISTS WITHIN DIFFERENT SCHOOLS WITH A CURRICULUM THAT DEVOTES A SIZEABLE AMOUNT OF THE DAY TO THE PEDAGOGICAL APPROACHES SUGGESTED WITHIN THE PHILOSOPHY ITSELF. THUS LEARNING ACTIVITIES IN WHICH THE CLARIFICATION OF MEANINGS IN WORDS IS PART OF THE CURRICULUM, ONE COULD VIEW THIS PRACTICE AS A STRAND OF PHILOSOPHICAL ANALYSIS THEORY.