Name : Syafrila Pahlevi Assyura

NIM : 18020084076

Philosophy of Education

Philosophy is many things. Indeed, there are many philosophies. An individual's

philosophy consists in her broad outlook, the general guidelines by which she

lives her life and/or the general framework through which she understands the

world. A philosophy in this sense may be common to members of a specific

group such as a political organization; for example, ACLU members agree on

the great importance of civil liberties. A philosophy in this sense of a general

outlook may also be shared among a broader, less well-defined collective such

as a society. For example, Westerners tend to share a philosophy emphasizing

individual rights, the value of free enterprise, and the importance of science as a

tool for progress.

We may also speak of the philosophy of a particular discipline or area of

inquiry. Thus we speak of the philosophy of psychology, the philosophy of

mathematics, the philosophy of biology, and so on. Here the term philosophy

does not refer to a shared outlook. Rather, it refers to the study of, or search for,

fundamental principles and concepts characterizing the domain of that

discipline.
For example, the philosophy of psychology-or philosophy of mind-seeks to

identify the most fundamental principles that describe and explain mental

activity and behavior. It asks such questions as "What is consciousness?" "What

is its role in human behavior?" "What are the relationships between

consciousness, thought, language, and intentional action?" "What is the

relationship between these phenomena and the brain or specific brain parts?"

"What sorts of creatures have minds?" "Could a sufficiently advanced computer

have a mind?" "What sorts of evidence permit us to make justified inferences

about another individual's mental life?"

Insofar as the philosophy of psychology involves the most theoretical and

general questions pertaining to the discipline of psychology itself, it seems fair

to say that the philosophy of psychology significantly overlaps with theoretical

psychology. Similarly, the philosophy of physics overlaps with theoretical

physics. Such overlap indicates the way in which the discipline of philosophy

overlaps with the most theoretical portions of various other disciplines.

This brings us to philosophy understood as a single discipline or academic

philosophy. Philosophy in this sense includes the philosophy of psychology (or

mind), the philosophy of biology, the philosophy of economics, the philosophy

of language, and so on. It also includes aesthetics, the fundamental exploration

of beauty; logic, the study of the general principles guiding rigorous inference;

epistemology, the study of the possibility of and general conditions required for

knowledge; ethics, the critical examination of such moral concepts as right and

wrong, good and bad, virtue and vice; metaphysics, which includes both the

most general study of the kinds of things that exist and speculation about those

things that may exist beyond the realm of direct experience; as well as various

other areas.

The word "philosophy" originates from the ancient Greek words "philo" and

"sophia," indicating its original meaning: love of wisdom. The meaning of the

term has evolved into the multi-faceted concept we have attempted to

characterize. But the original meaning attractively unites the various senses of

the term sketched above. An individual's philosophy represents, in large part, an

attempt at practical wisdom -- an understanding of how to live well. The

philosophy of a larger group or collective also suggests its take on practical

wisdom or some particular aspect of it. Meanwhile, each of the areas within

academic philosophy may be understood as seeking a type of theoretical

wisdom. For example, the philosophy of physics seeks the best possible, most

general understanding of physical phenomena. Ethics seeks wisdom about

morality. Logic codifies the general principles that constitute wisdom in

drawing inferences and extending knowledge. Therefore, those who desire a

classical definition of philosophy could do worse than to cite the original

meaning: love of wisdom!