Philosophy of Education [EDU 512]

The course provide students with theoretical knowledge and practical skills necessary to use the definitions, concepts, aims and objectives of philosophy of education; ontology and epistemology of philosophy of education; philosophical, historical, socio-cultural and pedagogical/andragogical background of education; philosophical trends and philosophy of education: idealism, realism, relativism, empirism, rationalism, criticism, phenomenalism, phenomenology, personalism, social reconstructionalism, liberalism and others. Special attention is paid to the old Baltic belief philosophy in the context of philosophy of Culture and it’s implications in designing educational theory related with origin of national individuality of Baltic nations. Course applies critical analysis of different theories of education, introduces main principles of conceptualization of personal philosophy of education, and presupposes the perspectives of education

To develop personal philosophies of master students and to apply the statements of the main concepts of philosophy of education to the substantiation of the methodology and methodology of research of educational phenomena.

Bachelor degree

1. Concept of philosophy and parts of its system. 2. Metaphysical, analytical, and normative traditions in philosophy and its mission in research of educational phenomena. 4. Concepts of world feeling, worldview and world outlook and links with Gnostic philosophy. 5. The power, form, and norm of cognition. Influence of theories of social constructionism as well as behavioural genetics on construction of person’s world outlook. 6. Concept and mission of philosophy of culture. 7. Pedagogics of values. 19. Methodological significance and problems of Old Baltic faith. 8. Epistemology as theory of cognition. 9. Fundamentalist and antifundamentalist tradition in epistemology. 10. Dogmatism, idealism, realism, relativism, criticism, scepticism. 11. The main laws of being (entity) and epistemology. 12. Theory of “Omega point”. A. Pro-life (Geogenesis: lito-sphere, hidro-sphere, biosphere, atmosphere, techno-sphere. Tangential and radial energies). B. Life (Biogenesis: polymerization, fila, verticil. Reproduction, procreation, renewal, coupling, association, purposeful accumulation). C. Thought (Psychogenesis: Instinct, intellect, mind, personalisation. Orthogenesis). D. Super-life (Noo-genesis: evolution as raising of mind; attributes of mind; Universalisation; The main directions of development of mankind). 13. Concepts and significance of empirism and rationalism in research of educational phenomena. 14. Criticism as integration of empirism and rationalism. 15. Pragmatism, progressivism, behaviourism, social reconstructionism, positivism and neopositivism. 16. Realism of Consensus. Nominalism. Conceptualism. Neotomism. 17. J. Herbart’s theory of stair-step perception. Perenialism and essentialism. 18. Conception of phenomenalism and the main statements. 19. Conception of phenomenology and the main statements. 20. Conception of personalism and its significance for education theory and practice. 21. To relate the main statements of philosophy of education with the ethics of research of educational phenomena.

The statements of metaphysical, analytical and normative philosophy for the study of educational phenomena are properly explained. Properly linked worldview structure with influence on cognitive processes. The statements of the philosophy of education corresponding to the essence of the nation in the context of the philosophy of culture are adequately substantiated. The main traditions of gnoseology and the ways of cognition of reality are properly compared. The statements of the theory of criticism for the study of educational phenomena are properly explained. 6. To reasonably explain two of the four types of phenomenal theory for the study of educational phenomena; The main statements of the theory of phenomenology for the study of educational phenomena are properly explained. The main statements of personalism and value philosophy for the study of educational phenomena are properly described The main statements of the philosophy of culture are properly related to the ethics of the study of educational phenomena.