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THE GREAT WESTERN EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHER:ARISTOTLE
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CONTENT
v Introduction
v The
facts of Aristotle’s Life
v Aristotle’s Theory of education
v The
Education system
v Subjects
of instruction
tv Contribution
of Aristotle to education
v Conclusion
Philosophy is the
corner stone of foundation of education. Education is a practical activity of
educational thought. Without philosophy education would be a blind effort and
without education philosophy would be crippled. Philosophy answers thousands of questions
pertaining to the whole field of education. Philosophy sets the goals and
objectives of education as well as the instruments and end use of evaluation.
If the child is to educated, why is he to be educated, for what he is to be
educated, how is to be educated, by whom is to be educated, are questions which
are answered by philosophy. Knowledge certified by philosophy enters the
curriculum of education. Method approved by Socrates, Plato, Aristotle,
Rousseau, Frobel, Gandiji, Tagore, and so on have been great educators also.
Now we think about one of the great western educational philosopher Aristotle’s
educational thought and practice. Aristotle was a realist, a practical man
variously referred to as 'the hard intellectualist’, 'a master of many
sciences' and the 'Father of Biology'.INTRODUCTION
THE
FACTS OF ARISTOTLE’S LIFE
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and scientist born in the Macedonian city of Stagirus, in 384 BC. His father, Nicomachus,
died when Aristotle was a child, where
after Proxenus
of Atarneus became his guardian. At eighteen, he joined Plato's Academy in Athens and remained there until the
age of thirty-seven. After Plato’s death, Aristotle left Athens and, at the
request of Philip of Macedon, tutored Alexander
the Great between 356 and 323 BC.
Aristotle not only studied almost every subject possible at that time, but made
significant contributions to most of them –including physics, biology, zoology, metaphysics, logic, ethics, aesthetics, poetry, theatre , music, rhetoric, linguistics, politics and government – and constitute the
first comprehensive system of Western
philosophy. He also studied education, foreign customs, literature
and poetry. His combined works constitute a virtual encyclopedia of Greek
knowledge.
ARISTOTLE’S
THEORY OF EDUCATION
Aristotle believes that
the citizens belong to the state. Therefore the marriage of the parents must be
controlled in order to produce healthy citizens. He is against early marriage. Aristotle wanted that the citizen should have strong
bodies and hence he emphasized gymnastic exercise. He puts emphasize on moral
education and he wanted that the directors of education should see that the young
children do not hear any unseemly tale. The latter have to share, latter on, in
great and responsible work and hence
they should have no knowledge of the evil. He said that children should not
associate themselves with slaves and other people of questionable character.
Until they are seven years old they should live at home.
THE
EDUCATION SYSTEM
Aristotle devises a veritable system
of continuing education. Education is not limited to youth.
It is a comprehensive process concerning the whole human person and lasting a lifetime.
This process is organized in periods of seven years. The first period is that
of pre-school education. This is the responsibility of parents and more
particularly of the father, which is thought the greatest good, and for their
nurture and up bringing’. Upbringing begins well before birth. The legislator must
decide how best to mould the infant body to his will. Aristotle indicates the
best age for father and mother and even the best period for conception, namely winter.
During pregnancy ‘pregnant women also must take care of their bodies’ they
should take exercise and eat nourishing food and keep their minds as tranquil
as possible. Children must exercise their bodies and become accustomed to the
cold from their earliest years. Up to the age of 5 they should be trained
through games, ‘but they must not be vulgar or exhausting or effeminate’.
Between the ages of 5 and 7 they must be spectators of the lessons they will
afterwards learn. At the age of 7, the children enter school. Schooling
continues up to the age of 21. It is divided into three periods of three years
each. Education is not completed at the age of 21. Aristotle’s
education system is thus clearly a system of continuing education. We should
also note that in Aristotle’s view ‘the body reaches maturity between the ages
of 30 and 35.The soul by the age of 49. It seems probable that these thresholds also
marked stages in the comprehensive system of education devised by Aristotle
SUBJECTS OF INSTRUCTION
According to Aristotle there are four
subjects of instruction. Reading and writing, gymnastic, drawing and music. Reading
and writing are useful for the pursuit of economic activities, for household management,
for the performance of political actions and for the acquisition of knowledge.
Aristotle favour gymnastic for making the bodies of the future citizens
proportionate and well-formed and not for excessive physical strength. Drawing
is useful in making purchases and for appreciating the beauty of the human
figure. Music according to Aristotle has five uses. It is a source of harmless
pleasure. It provides recreation. Sometimes it has purgative influence-‘katharis’.
It is also needed for forming character
because it habituates the mind to the love of that which is good and noble and to the repugnance for the ignoble. The
fifth use of music is that of “intellectual enjoyment in leisure”. Since
Aristotle talks at the rhythms and the melodies it is clear that he does not
mean by music, literature, but is speaking of music is the ordinary sense. He
is opposed to professional competence in music.
CONTRIBUTION
OF ARISTOTLE TO EDUCATION
For Aristotle the goal of
education is identical with the goal of man. Obviously all forms of education
are explicitly or implicitly directed towards a human ideal. But Aristotle
considers that education is essential for the complete self-realization of man.
The supreme good to which all aspire is happiness. But for Aristotle the happy
man is neither a noble savage, nor man in his natural state, but the educated
man. The happy man, the good man, is a virtuous man, but virtue is acquired
precisely through education. Ethics and education merge one into the other. Aristotle’s
ethical works are teaching manuals on the art of living.
Aristotle is more mindful of
the synthesis of knowledge and happiness. Aristotle’s philosophy of education
has several merits. It indicates a comprehensive conception of political philosophy.
An integral relation between life and state is essential according to it. In a
growing and scientific –technological commercial civilization .There is a
tendency to become obivious of the problems of philosophy of life. But
Aristotle is right in point out that without a noble conception of life aiming
of good and justice, political activity is not oriented to the right direction.
Aristotle is also justified in
emphasizing “habituation” for the practice of moral virtues. Certainly we need sound,
noble and decent men for the conduct of government affairs. Virtuous activity
and felicity are the goals both of the individuals and the state. Hence we
think that Aristotle’s stress on truth, justice, courage, temperance,
liberality etc. In the political context is meaningful.
Aristotle advocated the necessity of leisure
(leisure) although; in his conception it is the privilege of an economically
practical class. In modern we find a strict definition of industrial
legislation we find a strict definition of the number of hours a worker is to
work for, in order that the division between labour time and leisure time may
be maintained.
His attempt to regulate the age of
marriage is also sound. His proposals to teach and train by boy’s moral virtues,
especially temperance, can also be accepted.
Aristotle’s emphasis on liberal arts and the consequent opposition to
the vulgarization and brutalization of human propensities is in line with the
modern humanistic approach to education. The necessity of the study of humanities
is now being recognized even for people undergoing vocational training and also
for realizing the significance of human relation in industry. Aristotle
believed that, contrary to the common practice of his day, education was a responsibility
of the state. What he works out is therefore a genuine education policy.
CONCLUSION
It is only through education that man fulfils
himself completely. Human beings possess specific natural aptitudes but it is
only through education that they learn the business of being human and become
truly human. It is through education that culture is created. Aristotle’s
theory of education has lost none of its relevance. His observations on
educational policy and its role in society, his concept of a system of
continuing education and education for peace and leisure, and his educational
ideas have much in common with the concerns of those responsible for education
today.
REFERENCE
·
Leiter Brian(2007), ARISTOTLE-Christopher shields, Rroutledge Taylor & Francis
group, Haryana.
·
Sharma K Yogendra, The doctrines of great western educators from
Plato to Russel, Krishna publers, Delhi.
·
Thomas Henry and Thomas Lee Dana (1960),
Living biographers of great philosophers,
Bharathiya vidya bhavan, Bombay.
·
Henry George (2014), the history of
Philosophy, Lewes-Anon Publication, Delhi.
