DEVELOPING A
PHILOSOPHY
Maurice M. Martinez
WESTERN PHILOSOPHY
PHILOSOPHY-THE LOVE OF WISDOM
[FROM THE GREEK WORDS:
PHILEIN=TO LOVE & SOPHIA=WISDOM]
THREE BRANCHES:
1. METAPHYSICS
2. EPISTEMOLOGY
3. AXIOLOGY

1. 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
WE KNOW?
THE STUDY OF
THE NATURE
AND SCOPE OF
KNOWLEDGE
AND WHETHER
KNOWLEDGE IS
POSSIBLE
3. AXIOLOGY = WHAT IS
VALUABLE?

ETHICS = HOW ONE
SHOULD ACT;
MORALITY; VIRTUE

AESTHETICS = THE
BEAUTIFUL AND THE
UGLY
SENSORY; EMOTIONAL;
VALUES;
MATTERS OF TASTE &
SENTIMENT
5 CLASSIC PHILOSOPHIES &
EDUCATIONAL THEORIES
PHILOSOPHY
 IDEALISM
 REALISM
 PRAGMATISM
 EXISTENTIALISM
 PHILOSOPHICAL
 ANALYSIS
ED. THEORY
•PERENNIALSIM
•ESSENTIALISM
•PROGRESSIVISM/
RECONSTRUCTIONISM
•EXISTENTIALISM
•PHILOSOPHICAL
•ANALYSIS
IDEALISM
IDEALISTS 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
REALISM
REALISTS 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
PRAGMATISM
PRAGMATISTS 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
EXISTENTIALISM
EXISTENCE 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]
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 ANALYSIS
EXAMINES 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 THEORIES
PERENNIALISM = 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.
ESSENTIALISM
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 TEACHERDIRECTED DICTATOR
PROGRESSIVISM
EXPERIENCE 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
RECONSTRUCTIONISM
REBUILD 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
EXISTENTIALISM
AS AN EDUCATIONAL THEORY
IN PRACTICE, ONE FINDS
THE FREEDOM OF CHOICE
EXISTING IN MANY
DIFFERENT SCHOOLS
[FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING;
FREE CHOICE OF SUBJECTS
AND COURSES; NONTRADITIONAL PRACTICES,
FRIENDS SCHOOL, QUAKER
SCHOOLS, BENNINGTON
COLLEGE, CUNY BA…]
PHILOSOPHICAL ANALYSIS
AS 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.