Philosophy of education is one of the growing areas of specialization in education these days. The number of students opting for philosophy degrees these days is increasing steadily. Philosophy of education focuses on questions about how people learn, what shapes societies, what motivates individuals and groups to participate collectively in society and much more. The aim of this course is to give detailed attention to a wide range of issues from politics, economics, sociology and philosophy to personal growth. There are many branches of philosophy of education which have been developed over the years.
Philosophy of education seeks to answer questions that affect one another as individuals and as members of a society. It asks questions like: What makes man distinctively different from other animals? What is the function of social norms in ensuring that basic needs are met in society?
The discipline of philosophy of education mainly concerns itself with the general philosophy of education, especially in the field of education. One branch of philosophy of education which has given special importance to it is Social Philosophy. This branch of philosophy aims at developing an understanding of human society. It also gives importance to particular theories relating to the nature of social systems and their evolution. Two branches of this particular philosophy are Ethical Theory of Knowledge. These two branches oppose each other and have strong influence on the philosophy of education.
The other branch of philosophy of education which gives special significance to it is Biological Philosophy. This area of study looks at the various different types of human beings and their psychology and looks into how these biological types interact with each other and how they can be transformed to create successful societies. The topics that are covered in biological philosophy include: the definition of individualism and collectivism, the nature of culture and language and the role of emotions in social and cultural systems. It also looks into how the social animal influences the intellectual and emotional development of the children.
Another branch of philosophy of education which has strong philosophical influence is Social Ontology. This particular branch of philosophy seeks to understand how social and cultural aspects have an effect on the development of a person and their consciousness. The subjects that are covered under this particular branch of philosophy of education include: Feminist Theory, Social Optics and Social Science. Feminist Theory deals with the issues related to gender and class, whereas Social Optics deals with the nature and structure of ethical decisions and public choice.
In addition to these many other branches there are other philosophy of education which focus on particular fields like philosophy of language and philosophy of education, history of philosophy of education and philosophy of science. There are also other branches of philosophy of education like philosophy of religion, political economy and education, philosophy of education. All these branches have strong influence on the curriculum of a school and they ensure that students get adequate knowledge about these subjects and learn the various lessons which are taught in schools.
There are many philosophers who have worked on different topics to explain different phenomena. Some of these philosophers are Rawls, heimer, positivism and many more. A philosophical society is a group of individuals who share a common belief or philosophy on a specific subject like justice, freedom, honesty and other issues. There are philosophical societies in many countries which believe in promoting education and spreading awareness through the philosophical club or society.
Philosophers like Rawls are famous philosophers because they provided ideas for a just society. They are advocates of social justice and they used unique theories and methods in deciding the distribution of wealth in society. For instance, if a society has poor people it should aim at providing them good opportunities to become successful in life. If they have money they should be given control over large wealth. Some of the topics that Rawls discussed are: the definition of justice, objective moral assessment, the definition of a civilization and the need for global justice.