"Philosophy" of "Education" (Philosophy of Education Part 1, Section 1)

Main Ideas and Concepts

• Purpose of the course: Introduces the philosophy of education and explains why philosophy matters for thinking about education.
• Starting point: core questions
  • What is education?
  • What is philosophy?
  • What does philosophy have to do with education?
• No prior knowledge assumed: The instructor states the course will begin at a basic level in both educational theory/practice and philosophy.

Initial Attempt to Define Education (Brainstorming)

Education is associated with:

• Knowledge
• Skills (skills “operationalize” knowledge in practice)

It typically involves a social structure, such as:

• a student, usually younger
• guided by a teacher/instructor (typically not self-taught in the usual case)

Other common features include:

• education as a process that takes time (longer duration)
• teachers often being older/more experienced than students
• a formal-education goal of helping students become independent adults, capable of living their lives more autonomously after schooling

The discussion also notes:

• lifelong learning may continue, but it is not the primary focus of the educational process being described here.

Working Definition Proposed

Education is defined as:

“process of learning and teaching primarily the young, the knowledge and skills necessary for adult life.”

Controversies / Points of Refinement

Several refinements are raised:

• Older people can also be educated → Should the definition be broadened beyond “primarily the young”?
• Some learners are self-taught (autodidacts) → Is the “teaching” component necessary, or should education include learning without a teacher?
• Possible missing elements: Character is suggested as a potential additional component—should education explicitly include character formation?

Speaker / Sources

• Steph Hicks (professor of philosophy; course instructor)