Western Concept of Education

The question of education has been given particular consideration by many Societies, Western or Indian. By definition, education is a transfer of knowledge from one generation to another; it is a system or practice of teaching and learning. Also in its broadest meaning, “education is any process by which an individual gains knowledge or insight, or develops attitudes or skill”

1. Socrates: "Education means the bringing out of the ideas of universal validity which are latent in the mind of every man".

To him ‘Knowledge is Virtue’  and knowledge can be achieved through knowing oneself so ‘Know thyself’, the way of real knowledge is truth and truth is the way which directly leads to God.

2. Plato was an idealist and he fully realized the needs of human body and soul. According to him "Education of giving to the body and soul all the perfection of which they are susceptible”

-Inculcation of sentiments of love, beauty and goodness

                                    

               TRUTH                           GOODNESS                                      BEAUTY

Intellectual Development            Ethical Development                             Aestheticism

(Philosophy, Logic,                        (Ethics, Morals, Values)                    (Art, Music, Painting)

Mathematics, Language

Geography, Science, History)

  

-Harmonizing the personality of child

3. Aristotle: "Education is the art of acquiring happiness and not the pursuit of pleasure”

He lays emphasis on making an individual a good human being, he states ‘In virtue of each, the virtue of all is involved’

                                                                                                        

                                                                         Education of the Body

  3 aspects of education                                   Education of the character

                                                                               Education of the intellect

  

4. Rousseau: According to him there are 3 different sources of education

a)  Education by Nature : “The constitutional exertion of our organs and faculties is the education of Nature”

It restores the unsophisticated man whose sole function is to be a man. In the natural order of things, all men being equal, their common vocation is manhood.

b) Education given by men : “The uses we are taught to make of that exertion constitutes the education given by men”

c) Education from circumstances: The acquisition made by our own experiences”

                                          Two Types of education

A} Negative type of education: “I call negative education that which tends to perfect the organs that are the instruments of the knowledge, and before giving this knowledge directly and that endeavours to prepare the way for reason by proper exercise of the sense. A negative education does the time of idleness, far from it. It does not give virtues, it projects from vice. It does not inculcate truth. It projects from errors.

B] Positive Education:  “ I call positive education one that tends to form the mind prematurely and to instruct the child in the duties that belongs to man.”

5. Froebel: “Education is unfoldment of what is already enfolded in the germ. It is the process through which the child makes internal external"

Froebel's Meaning of education rested on  basic ideas of

a)      free self expression and creativity

b)      social participation

c)       motor expression.

6. John Dewey: “I believe that the only true education comes through the stimulation of the child's powers by the demands of the social situations in which he finds himself.”

Social View : What the best and wisest parent want for his own child, that must the community want for all of its children

7. Herbert Spencer: "Education is complete living".

Spencer was an agnostic who believed that the only way to gain knowledge was through a scientific approach.  He felt that religion was a futile attempt to gain knowledge of the unknown