systematically reflected on human life. Plato, Aristotle, St.

Augustine, Aquinas, Hume, Kant,

Russell, Ayn Rand, Lao Tzu, Radhakrishman, Newton, and others stand out. Highlight #5:

Analyzing is important, but The author

the effort to rebuild and
distinguishes
create new perspectives is
even more meaningful. IV between two
Reflection gains value not key aspects of
just by exposing errors or philosophy:
flaws in our beliefs but by
reorganizing ideas in a Analyzing is one thing; the effort to engage in reconstruction is another. Our activity of analysis
(breaking down
better way. Many
philosophers went beyond reflection finds broader meaning not merely in showing the error of our ways, the implausibility ideas) and
reconstruction
mere analysis to seek
stronger foundations for of our ordinary beliefs, but in putting things together in the proper perspective. Many of the (building new
ethics, metaphysics, and
knowledge. For instance, philosophers I have mentioned, and certainly there are others, did not exhaust themselves merely frameworks).
This dual nature
Russell’s work in
mathematical logic, Kant’s on analysis. On their own, they looked for more viable foundations for our ethics, metaphysics highlights the
dynamic and
Foundations of the
Metaphysics of Morals, and and epistemology. Russell's own work in the field of mathematical logic represents an constructive
Confucius’s Analects all
exemplify this achievement in philosophy. So is Kant's Foundations of Metaphysics of Morals, or the famous Analects role of
philosophy in
reconstructive effort in
philosophy. of Confucius. shaping our
understanding
of the world.

Every philosopher likely There is, I suppose, a stirring within every philosopher to come up with a systematic The author
critiques the
feels a desire to create a
comprehensive treatise, a more comprehensive view of the universe; although perhaps, at this stage of our overemphasis
on conceptual
understanding of the
universe. However, given knowledge, in particular our academic disciplinal orientation, the formulation of a truly analysis in
the limitations of our
current knowledge and comprehensive philosophy shall remain no more than a dream. What our intellectual centers modern
philosophy,
specialized academic fields,
this vision remains a dream. turn out is specialist in specific areas: laws, medicine, engineering, including education, political arguing that it
should be
Today, universities produce
specialists in fields like law, science, sociology and philosophy itself. The true philosophers are those who can go beyond the balanced with
the
medicine, engineering, and
even philosophy. True confines of a particular discipline. Perhaps, it is not necessary that the philosophers (by this reconstructive
philosophers are those who
think beyond these term, I do not mean the professional academic philosopher, but the person, the intellectual or effort to create
viable systems
boundaries. They don’t
need to master every the academic who seeks a more systematic and comprehensive view of the world) acquires a of thought.
discipline but should reflect
on the shared foundations detailed knowledge of every discipline, from anthropology to zoology. If we assume that all our
-
knowledge rest upon some common foundations, then a reflection on these and the related
of knowledge. By doing so, This made me
they can develop a unified
see philosophy
framework that connects
effort as reconstruction would amount to some form of comprehensive philosophy, or at least a as a dynamic

-
knowledge, beliefs, and

L
and
actions. Still, this effort
depends on certain reconstructed philosophy that would serve as the unifying frame of all knowledge, beliefs and constructive
conditions that philosophy
itself must justify. actions. But all these rest on 'ifs', on certain conditions which philosophy must itself validate. endeavor, not
just a critical
one. It’s about
both
V deconstructing
old ideas and
building new,

3 SENSES In this foregoing, I have in effect separated three senses of the term philosophy. Clearly, more viable

we may use philosophy to mean the ①whole range of our intellectual presuppositions, on which is systems of
thought. This
has implications
OF rooted our epistemological, metaphysical and ethical judgments, beliefs and actions. We may for education,
also use the term to mean the ②reflective activities directed at these presuppositions. And finally, as it suggests
PHILO we may use it to mean the reconstructed belief or value system, which, for some, should show a
that students
should not only
learn to critique
universal and comprehensive character. existing ideas
In summary, the term but also to
"philosophy" can be create new
understood in three ways.
First, it refers to the VI ones.
foundational assumptions
underlying our knowledge,
beliefs, and actions in areas
like epistemology, Let me now relate these to philosophy of education. If I were to say that every man has
metaphysics, and ethics.
Second, it involves the his or her philosophy of education, this I would, I think, still be generally true. Certainly, the
reflective process of
examining these parents who work themselves to the bone to send their children to school would have certain
assumptions. Finally, it can
mean a reconstructed belief beliefs not only about the goals of education but also about how educators would conduct
or value system, ideally
universal and themselves in the classroom. The students themselves, both the young and the mature, with the
comprehensive for some.
exception perhaps of the preschoolers and those in the first steps of the grade school, have some
rudiments of a philosophy of education. As one moves along the spectrum, he meets with
educators themselves, from the nursery school teachers to the university presidents, who have at
the back of their minds some basic views about education and the educative process, which
views serve to provide unity and direction to their respective activities.

In a sense, all these people are like the ordinary man who has a philosophy but has not
had the opportunity to reflect systematically about their said philosophy.

If we were to draw out from a person his idea about education and the educative process,
in the manner of Socrates, we may be able to show that some of these ideas are valid, relevant
and viable, while some are largely incoherent, irrelevant and untenable. This exercise, which is
Everyone has their own philosophy of education, whether consciously or not. Parents who work hard to send their
children to school hold beliefs about education's goals and how teachers should behave. Students, even at a young
age, have basic ideas about education, and educators themselves—from nursery teachers to university presidents
—have guiding principles that shape their actions.
However, many people, like the average person, haven’t systematically reflected on their philosophy of education.
By engaging in Socratic questioning, we can draw out these ideas, evaluate their validity, and understand whether
they are coherent and relevant. This reflective process is a key part of the philosophy of education—an effort to
analyze and critique our own beliefs about education and its goals.