EXPLORING THE PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS OF EDUCATION

The philosophical foundation of education refer to the fundamental ideas and

concepts that support educational methods, policies, and institutions, (Deepai,2024). It

amazing to know that the philosophical foundation does encompasses wide range of

philosophies or principles, such as existentialism, progressivism, pragmatism, idealism, and

realism. Regarding to that, each philosophies covers the problems like the nature of

knowledge, the role of the teacher, the goal of education, and the ideal student, each

philosophy presents a unique viewpoint. To tackle more, let’s proceed to understand more

about the Eastern and the Western philosophy.

Is eastern and western philosophy really matters to us? Then let us find out, Eastern

philosophy believes in what they called “self” or often emphasize the inner self and

enlightenment, this refers to our personal identity, core philosophies, consciousness as an

illusion. They include practices such as meditation and yoga and offer more fluid approach to

ethics. Western philosophy focuses on the external salvation and relationship with God. They

also include rituals and practices like prayer, sacraments and communal worship, not just that

but they tend to have defined commandment laws.

In western philosophies, According to Guyer 2015, Idealism, now viewed that mind

is the most basic reality and that the physical world exists only as an appearance to or

expression of mind, or somehow mental in its inner essence, it is the view that the contents of

human knowledge are ineluctably determined by the structure of human thought. In idealism

it is often associated with the development of the intellect and moral character focusing on

helping students understand their own thoughts and beliefs while cultivating a deeper

appreciation for truth and the values of humanity. Therefore, they emphasize on literature,

philosophy, and the arts, where exploration of great ideas and ethical principles is prioritized.
Realism, is the view that a “reality” of material objects, and possibly of abstract concepts,

exists in an external world independently of our minds and perceptions. In order to help

students comprehend the world as it is, realism-based teaching methods emphasize hands-on,

realistic, and participatory approaches. The development of critical thinkers who can

successfully cross reality and make constructive contributions to society is the aim of

education from a realism standpoint. They improve their on their sciences, social studies, and

physical world-based subjects are heavily highlighted; practical skills are frequently included.

According to Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Pragmatism is a philosophical movement

that includes those who claim that the ideology or proposition is true if it works satisfactory,

that the meaning of a proposition is to be found in the practical consequences of accepting it,

and that unpractical ideas are to be rejected. The central idea of pragmatism is that people’s

questions and answer should be influenced by practical considerations. Therefore, they let

their students to make a project-based learning, collaborative work, and inquiry-based

approaches. Furthermore, having an application experience creates an importance in learning

process. Through that a focus on interdisciplinary learning and skills applicable to real-life

situations. Perennialism, advocates for teaching enduring ideas and universal truths

significant throughout history. Education should focus on classic works of literature,

philosophy, and sciences that have lasting importance (Hutchins, 1953). They emphasize

eternal wisdom and human experiences through a curriculum that revolves around "great

books" and important concepts from Western civilization. In order to engage students with

ancient texts and promote critical thinking through conversation, they place a strong

emphasis on Socratic question and communication. As a result, they can seek to cultivate

intelligent and considerate people by engaging with philosophical and intellectual traditions

and promoting an awareness of universal themes and values. There are also other 4

philosophies that which the Essentialism, an educational theory that ideas and skills basic to
a culture should be taught to all alike by time-tested methods (Merriam Webster, 2024).

Existentialism, a movement that centers on the experiences of the individual and the inherent

challenges of existence, including themes of meaning, choice, and the search for authenticity.

Progressivism, an approach that emphasizes experiential learning, critical thinking, and the

development of students as active participants in their own education. Social

Reconstructionism, means to promote social change, social justice, and equity.

According to Scroope 2022, Hinduism devotions (bhakti) refers to both practice and

a path (marga) towards salvation. They devoted their self and surrender it to their chosen God

in which it shows their most central practices which is the “worship”. Their central concept is

that includes dharma (ethics), karma (action and its consequences) and moksha (liberation

from the cycle of rebirth). Additionally, they combine physical, intellectual, and spiritual

learning integrating arts, sports, and ethics into the curriculum. They also utilize narratives

and scripture to convey moral lessons and philosophical concept that leads to impacts the

education to focus on the development on the mind, body, and spirit. This also fulfill one’s

duty, fostering a sense of social responsibility and community service. Buddhism, it was

founded by Siddhartha Gautama or known to be as the Buddha. This teaches the 4 Noble

Truths, these are Dukkha (suffering), Samudaya (the origin of suffering), Nirodha (the end of

suffering), and Magga (the path that leads to the end of suffering) as the first teaching given

by Buddha and the Eightfold path, (BBC website,2009). It emphasizes the practice of

mindfulness and meditation as means as to achieve Nirvana or liberation of the cycle of

rebirth. Moreover, they integrate meditation and mindfulness exercises into the curriculum to

improve focus and emotional awareness, encourages discussions and cooperative project that

will impacts the education through promoting focus, self-awareness and emotional regulation

in students. Confucianism is also known as Ruism that is a system of thought and behavior

originating in ancient China. This often characterized as a system of social and ethical
philosophy rather that a religion. It is also built to establish the social values, institutions and

transcendent ideals traditional Chinese society, (J. Berling, 1982). They emphasize moral

integrity, social harmony and the importance of education and familial relationship. Teachers

teach on imparting their knowledge through lectures and guided questions, and let student to

engage in role-playing scenarios that reflects on ethical dilemmas to cultivate moral

reasoning. For them, it’s a place for strong education because they focus on the self-

cultivation and moral development in which teacher are highly respected and they viewed

them as their moral guides in shaping to be who they are. Taoism was also spelled as

Daoism. This is a religion and a philosophy from ancient China. It holds that human and

animals should live in harmony and balance with the universe. They believe in spiritual

immortality, where the spirit of the body joins the universe after death, not just that but they

also believe in the idea of balancing forces of yin and yang, (National Geographic, 2024).

Their teaching method promotes hands-on learning experiences, encouraging student to

explore and discover new knowledge in a natural setting and allowing students to learn at

their own pace and follow their interest. This aims to focus their personal growth, learn to

find their own path, develop deep appreciation and respect for the environment. Zen

Buddhism, this is like the other form of Buddhism, aims to perfection or realization of

personhood. This is the other form of Mahayana Buddhism that places a strong emphasis on

enlightenment through direct experiences and meditation called zazen. Zen emphasizes the

immediate and experiential dimension of life and frequent uses koans (which are paradoxical

a stories or riddles) to elicit meditation and profound understanding. Zazen is a foundation

method of praxis across the various schools of this Buddha-Way (which is not an ideology,

but a way of living), (Nagatomo, 2006). They let the students to involve in questioning and

debate, promoting critical thinking and imagination, and incorporates meditation and quiet

reflection techniques to help them grasp the subject more deeply. This teaching methods aims
to cultivate virtues such as respect, responsibility, loyalty, foster understanding and skill,

maintaining social order, and community well-being. Christian Philosophy, this base on the

existence of God; Creator and sustainer of all things and the savior. This maintain a God-

centered view, emphasizing belief in the God of the Bible and his revelation through Jesus

Christ. The bible speaks of the moral and spiritual instruction of believers in general and the

children in particular. It places a high value upon knowledge, both of God and his works.

They encourage students to discuss and question key ideas, foster critical thinking, group

discussions and debates to create a space for student to express and challenge differing

viewpoints. Through this the students will be more holistically understands the person,

emphasizing the integration of intellectual, moral, and spiritual development. Saracen

Philosophy, this is the term used by the Christian writers in Europe during the middle ages to

refer to people from Arabic. By the 12 th Century this was now labelled as Muslim. Methods

of education, the Quaran and its principles to taught at every level. All education begins with

religious education (Islam) that was founded by Muhammed. The Saracen philosophy had a

significant and varied influence on education, helping to build educational institutions,

preserve and expand information, create educational system and foster critical thinking and

logical investigation.

Out of all the philosophy in eastern and western philosophy the things that resonates

me the most is the Christian Philosophy since of course this philosophy is the religion that I

was born into. I chose this because Christian Philosophy focuses on the natural worth of

every individual, the search of truth, the value of community, and the transformational power

of love and grace. As far as I know that Christians teaches that every person is made in the

image of God and has inherent worth. They also create educational environments that

emphasize teamwork and mutual respect that show on the most of the Pilipino right now.
 To sum all the things up, each philosophy has a distinct viewpoint on the context of

knowledge, different historical context, and shows on how each philosophy contributes to

education. Its really great to