This fifteen-part video course covers philosophical issues that bear directly upon education. Professor Hicks discuss the philosophers — Plato, Locke, Kant, Dewey, and others — who have influenced education greatly, and he compares systems of educational philosophy and their implications for education in practice. This course presupposes no formal knowledge of philosophy or education.
Jump to Part 1: Introduction to the Course. Part 2: Metaphysics. Part 3: Epistemology. Part 4: Human Nature. Part 5: Ethics. Part 6: Transition. Part 7: Idealism. Part 8: Realism. Part 9: Pragmatism. Part 10: Behaviorism. Part 11: Existentialism. Part 12: Objectivism. Part 13: Marxism. Part 14: Postmodernism. Part 15: Conclusion. Appendix.
Reading: Stephen Hicks and Andrew Colgan, Eight Philosophies of Education.
“Philosophy” of “Education”
What education is
Some philosophical questions about education
What philosophy is
The relevance of philosophy to education
Motivation for the course
[View all of Part 1 at YouTube.]
Introducing metaphysics: our hybrid civilization
Two philosophical stories:
The Big Bang story The Creation story Comparing the two stories
The argument from design
The argument from evil
Metaphysics and method
[View all of Part 2 at YouTube.]
Introduction: What epistemology is
Reason — a developmental story:
The Semmelweis case The “Juliet is the sun” metaphor Education’s epistemological mission Asch’s conformity experiments Milgram’s obedience experiments Two more virtues: independence and courage The value of reason
From reason to faith:
Phase One: Copernicus, Bruno, and Galileo Phase Two: the rise of natural theology Phase Three: “I found it necessary to deny reason … ”
Faith:
Kierkegaard, Luther, and Tertullian The story of Abraham Kierkegaard’s lesson: Abraham as model of faith
Educational implications:
Choose your hero — Semmelweis or Abraham?
[Further Readings: Semmelweis and Childbed Fever. Galileo Galilei. Quotations on Faith.]
[View all of Part 3 at YouTube.]
Five issues in human nature
The physical and the psychological
Dualism of mind and body Reductive materialism Integrationism Mottos and graphics Reasons for and against dualism
Implications for education
The “problem child” Physical education? Cognition: theory and/or practice? Sex education?
[View all of Part 4 at YouTube.]
Six questions in ethics
Preamble: What is the meaning of life?
Nature or Supernature [Where?]
Reason or Non-reason (faith, tradition, feeling) [How?]
Universal or Relative [When?]
Teleology or Deontology [Why?]
Egoism or Altruism [Who?]
Values and virtues: health, wealth, pleasure, friendship … [What?]
Two ethical traditions: Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christianity
Declaration of Independence and a priest’s vows
Egoism
What is the meaning of life? Egoism: end in oneself, self-responsibility, investment, achievement Egoism’s educational mission
Predation’s solution: power, aggression, win/lose Altruism’s solution: selflessness, sacrifice, lose/win service to others
Role models Cases: money, sports, sex
[View all of Part 5 at YouTube.]
From issues to “isms”
Philosophy “horizontally”: metaphysics, epistemology, human nature, ethics Philosophy “vertically”: integrating positions into systems Placing our seven “isms" Why those seven: influence on contemporary education and philosophical diversity
Six primary educational values
Knowledge, Method, Skills, Individuality, Socialization, Morality Implications: hiring teachers, curriculum, assessment Quotations on the six educational values
[View all of Part 6 at YouTube.]
Idealist philosophy
Plato on education
The Allegory of the Cave
Obedience, imposed discipline, disobedience, punishment
Idealist education
[View all of Part 7 at YouTube.]
[Further Readings: Plato and Immanuel Kant.]
Contrasting Realist to Idealist philosophy
John Locke on education
Realist curriculum
3 R’s, foundational knowledge and methods Example: Science, math, and technology Example: Physical education Example: Art
Theory and practice integrated
Example: Younger kids and baseball math Example: Middle-school kids and bike-jumping Example: High school kids, auto mechanics and theater
Tracking issues
Character, discipline, and liberty
[View all of Part 8 at YouTube.]
[Further Readings: Aristotle and John Locke.]
Pragmatic philosophy
Evolution, skepticism, and democracy
John Dewey on education
Pragmatic education
Groups and socialization
Teacher as facilitator
Historical “truth”
[View all of Part 9 at YouTube.]
[Further Reading: John Dewey.]
Behaviorist philosophy
Psychology and the progression of the sciences 20th century psychology: Freud, Behaviorism, Cognitivism Two preconditions for a science of psychology On scientific observation On correlating cause and effect: The "standard model" in psychology The problem with the standard model The behaviorist solution Black box methodology The assumption of environmental determinism
Behaviorist education, with quotations from John Watson and B. F. Skinner
Behaviorism as a how of education, not a what 2 x 2 chart of techniques Applying what we’ve learned from psychology Overcoming the resistance to conditioning: Resistance 1: Behaviorism sounds so authoritarian Resistance 2: Behaviorism makes teachers too accountable
[View all of Part 10 at YouTube.]
[Further Reading: B. F. Skinner.]
Existentialist philosophy
God is dead Albert Camus and “The Myth of Sisyphus” Jean-Paul Sartre and “Existence precedes essence” Religion and science as dehumanizing Authentic humanism
Existentialism’s educational implications
General themes: choice, commitment, responsibility Curriculum Assessment Individualism? Contra the good-news-sunny-skies approach to life
[View all of Part 11 at YouTube.]
[Further Reading: Jean-Paul Sartre. Albert Camus.]
Introduction:
Rand's entrepreneurial philosophy
Value philosophy — Romanticism, Liberalism, Egoism:
The Romantic sense of life Liberal politics Rational self-interest
Metaphysics and Epistemology:
"Primacy of Existence" Consciousness as Relational Objectivity Empiricism Cognitive tabula rasa Francis Bacon's “Nature, to be commanded, must be obeyed”
Human nature:
Mind/body integration, volition, reason and emotion, tabula rasa morally
Ethics and social philosophy:
Individualism: self-responsible living and the virtues Egoism versus the false alternative of altruism or predation Optimism: philosophy and history
Ayn Rand on education:
The purpose of education Howard Roark’s expulsion as example Critique of mainstream education Rand on Montessori
Montessori education:
Montessori practices and principles The compatibility of Objectivist philosophy and Montessori education
[View all of Part 12 at YouTube.]
[Further reading: Ayn Rand (“The Comprachicos” and selected quotations). Maria Montessori (The Montessori Method and selected quotations).]
The science in “scientific socialism”: Materialism Environmental determinism Economic forces as fundamental Philosophy, art, politics, and religion as superstructure Religion as an example The socialism in “scientific socialism”: Necessary economic developmental stages Capitalism’s dynamic: “The rich get richer ...” Revolution, not evolution Religion as the opium of the masses The role of teachers in developing revolutionaries
Marxist education
Marxist teachers in a capitalist system Education during the dictatorship of the proletariat Education under socialism
[View all of Part 13 at YouTube.]
[Further Reading: Karl Marx.]
Postmodern philosophy
Introduction What modernism is The Enlightenment vision Post-modernism’s themes Quotations from Foucault, Lyotard, Derrida Problems from Marxism Pomo: skeptical relativistic rhetoric against modern society
Henry Giroux on education
Postmodern education
Teacher training Literature History Science
[View all of Part 14 at YouTube.]
[Further Reading: Henry Giroux. Chart: Defining Modernism and Postmodernism. A 56-page transcript of the video lecture.]
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The Importance of the Philosophy of Education
What is the value of Philosophy of Education?
Personal growth
One's professional mission as a teacher
Understanding the contemporary school system
Progress and reform
Our students
[View all of Part 15 at YouTube.]
Course flyer and table of contents for the lecture series.
Supplemental readings booklet: Philosophy of Education [pdf].
These video-lectures can also be viewed via playlists at CEE’s channel at YouTube or at the Center for Ethics and Entrepreneurship’s site.
The lectures were recorded during the 2009-2010 academic year.
Related:
A complete listing of my education-related posts.
[Keywords: 7 philosophies of education, 8 philosophies of education, Philosophy of Education courses, Philosophy of Education lectures.]
Return to the StephenHicks.org main page.
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I have just started this course. I feel it is wonderful.
Thanks Mr. Hicks
Regards
Anil
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Hope you find it useful, Anil. Thanks for letting me know.
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Thank you for a cogent and accessible course in philosophy of education.
In the past 45 years or so, I have read brief passages of various philosophers, heard bits an pieces of their ideas, and generally avoided any deep, formal, and systematic exploration because I believed philosophy to be too complex and a lot of work. Essentially what I had was a hodge podge of confusing thoughts. In your first few lectures, suddenly everything fell into place and was made clear! I feel awakened and enlightened to something I’ve struggled with for those many years.
I’ve completed the video series and have been reading through the text (updated version) and also a few other similar texts. Your course has inspired me. I find the work fascinating and compelling. Now if I can only find something similar regarding philosophy of medicine.
I teach adults in a vocational setting. My background was not in teaching nor philosophy. This course has helped me in ways I wasn’t aware of at the start.
Thanks again.
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Wonderful feedback, Ed. I appreciate it very much. Best, Stephen
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I’m a Tanzanian.Thank you very much for these video lectures.In fact,I enjoy watching the videos.May the Lord continue to bless you.
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Thank you for the feedback, Kulwa.
I appreciate it.
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Dear Prof. Hicks,
Thank you so much for your comprehensive course and for sharing your knowledge with us online. I recently started a Master degree in Education but have a Bachelor from a completely different field. Your course is really helping me to ‘construct’ my learning. After feeling a bit overwhelmed at the beginning of the degree – with the help of your course – the basics are now starting to come together to form a big and truly fascinating picture. Thanks so much!
Elisabeth
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Glad to know it’s useful to you, Elisabeth. Thanks!
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I really learn from you Dr. Hicks. I want to share this to my class will you allow me?
Thank you in advance.
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Please feel welcome to, Dr. Barquilla. Thank you for asking.
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I really learn from you Dr. Hicks. I want to share this to my class will you allow me?
Thank you in advance.
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Thank you for this lecture series. I am a few years into the teaching career and these lectures have been tremendously helpful. It’s like “getting under the hood” to see what in the heck is going on in the education world!
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Glad they’ve been helpful, John. Thanks for the feedback. : )
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contributed academically
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Dear Prof. Hicks,
This is so interesting. I’ve listened all of these lectures! I know that it is not enough to understand everything, but I think I can understand something from it. I’m a huge fan of Fred Astaire, and you mentioned that it is important to dance as it makes a person to incarnate his or her thoughts into material world, as it is in integrationalism. To be honest, I live in Russia, and a lot of thoughts here that you have described are heterogeneous in our country. For example, a lot of people here are mostly socialistic, and now dualistic. Spiritual themes are becoming actual as never before, and materialistic thefts in the government doesn’t matter to most of the population which is bad. No guarantee that private property can be protected and therefore ther is no will to create anything here. There is also no good knowledge at schools and universities so I had to find your lectures, for example. It is strange to see that such thing as postmodernism was created to destroy American culture. I watch a lot of Golden Hollywood movies that are marvelous but before that I had watched Netflix and I had felt something really bad had happened, because it is impossible to understand the real meaning of a serial or a movie so now I think they are evil. Thank you very much for the information that you provided! I wish I could find your lectures sooner! By the way, do you think that Fred Astaire was a realist?
Kind regards,
Farid Rustamov
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Thank you for your comments, Farid, and I am glad the lectures were useful to you. I also wish you the best for your continued seeking for like-minded deep thinkers.
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Dear Prof Hicks
It was interesting for me to perceive and getting knowledge about philosophy of education in depth through this fantastic course. I have a question:
How can I get it by pdf or book?
I’m from Kurdistan-Iraq
M. A degree in education.
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Thank you, Rahbar. I will follow-up with you via email.
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