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Philosophical Foundations of
Modern Western Education
MF7 225
Dr. Abdullah Shahin
Exercise 1
discuss the concept of western world
, provide criteria for your definition
Where does the word education
come from and what are the related
concepts ?
Curiosity/Inquiry :
What is the world made of ?
Thales (624-546 BC) sometimes referred to as the first
philosopher. He asked questions about the nature of the
universe, studied astronomy and successfully predicted
an eclipse of the sun in 585 BC.
Heraclitus (544-483 BC) nothing stays the same over
time, everything is in a state of flux, hence his famous
axiom 'it is not possible for anyone to step in the same
river twice'
Pythagoras (580-500 BC) of Samos who combined work
in philosophy and mathematics. He applied logical
(mathematical) thinking to
the solution of practical problems, and Pythagoras'
theorem about triangles is still part of the geometry
curriculum
SPARTA
For many centuries they were successful as
warriors and brought up their male children to
become good soldiers. Some hostile writers have
described the whole of Sparta as a kind of military
training camp
Spartan educational ideas were simple and very
limited. The purpose of education was training - for
physical fitness and military proficiency. Plato
admired some aspects of the regime, especially
the subordination of individual desires to the
greater good of the State, a view reflected in the
Republic.
duties.