DB2 Topic: What one believes philosophically will impact how curriculum is written and
how it is presented by the educator. Of the philosophies (Idealism, Realism, Pragmatism, and
Existentialism) covered in the readings, discuss educational philosophy and how historical
and scientific changes in human history might have influenced thought and philosophy in the
field of education. List at least one concrete example.
Idealism, -- Truth is greater than the human experience
Realism, -- Truth is the composite of the sensory experience
Pragmatism, -- Truth is in the human experience
Existentialism – Truth is what the individual conceives it to be.
Educational philosophy – a complex term for all its simplicity. In its simplest form,
educational philosophy can be construed as the way one construes education. In its more
complex form, it would be the entire field of thoughts, constructions, and perceptions of what
education is, was, and will be. The philosophies presented in the readings (Knight, 2006)
can be rendered in terms of truth. To the idealist, truth is bigger than the human experience
and cannot be put into such a small space as the human mind. To the realist, truth is the
composite of the sensory experience, and within the senses would be the total experience of
truth. The pragmatist sees truth in the human experience, including the societal experience of
the human experience. The existentialist would argue that truth is whatever the individual
conceives it to be.
Most recorded history attributes the determination of a spherical Earth to one of the
ancient Greeks. Maybe it was Plato, or Aristotle, or Socrates who made this determination
first. Some credit Pythagoras for the explanation. Others note that Biruni’s records of the
diameter of the Earth amazingly accurate for the time, and employing trigonometry as a
determinate, as opposed to the historical inaccuracies of the astrologic methods of
calculation.
However, while “In fourteen hundred and ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean
blue,” it was not until Magellan and Elcano circumnavigated from Seville, Spain between
1519 and 1522 that the reality of the spherical Earth became a known and experienced
phenomena. Prior to that time, while many believe in the spherical Earth, the reality had not
been truly explored and recorded. Even well after the Megallanic explorations, there were
those that believed in and were educated in and understanding of the flat Earth.
The terms of educational philosophy the identity of truth can be placed against these
ruminations. The idealist of the time would believe that there was more to the world than
could be seen – the potential of a spherical Earth would not have been beyond reason. The
realist would argue the improvidence of the sphere. The pragmatist would construe a need to
prove the issue. The existentialist would allow whatever one wanted to believe.
Having crossed the Straits of Magellan and the Drake Passage just recently, and flown
to and from Buenos Aires as part of the same trip, it seems strange to consider that there
were (and are) those who sincerely believe the world to be flat. Educators once thought, and
ergo taught, that the world was flat. The knowledge of science and history has corrected that
perception and altered our teaching accordingly. Along with the construct of a flat Earth are
the limitations thereof. Along with the construct of a spherical Earth are the scope of
constructs to be unlimited. To travel the world is to know its shape. To learn of the world
leads to learning of its Creator.
It would seem that truth is a composite of the named philosophies. Not wholly one
thing or another, but wholly beyond our comprehension. Jesus said, “And ye shall know the
truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32 King James Version). Within the same
chapter, Jesus goes on to say, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free
indeed” (John 8:36 King James Version). Logically, it would follow that the Son is truth.
As Christians, we find all our truth in the Son, and through the very word of God. Truth,
then, is not wholly one thing or another, but Holy God.
One could argue the same syllogism as regards God as regards truth. The idealist
knows there is more to God than what can be seen or realized in this world. The realist can
look to the sensory experience and see God. Since the Bible says “So God created man in
his own image” (Genesis 1:27 King James Version), the pragmatist can argue that in the
image of God (man) can find God in the human experience. The existentialist may argue
anything, but only the truth, the Son of God Himself, will be the answer.
Reference
Knight, G. (2006). Philosophy and education: An introduction in Christian perspective (4th ed.).
Berrien Springs, Michigan: Andrews University Press.