PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION
Year:2017 | Volume:2 | Issue:1 |Papers Count:5

The purpose of this article is to extract the Iranian philosophy of education based on the cultural characteristics of the ancient Iran. To obtain this aim, we will consider Taylor’s definition of culture and his emphasis on four main elements including state, social conditions, religion and education. In terms of research methods, we will employ historical method, transcendental analysis, and practical deduction. The findings of this research are organized in terms of the final goal of education, the fundamental concept of education, the philosophical foundations (anthropology, epistemology, and axiology) and the principles derived from them. Accordingly, in the ancient Iran, the final goal of education was “attaining goodness” and in this regard, different dimensions of human existence were considered. This point, especially in the individual aspect is one of the strengths of implicit philosophy of ancient Iranian education. Concerning anthropology, there was a deterministic look to human and his abilities, as well as social immobility and belonging to a particular social class, characteristics that can be criticized. In epistemology, the dependence of knowledge on the social classes, the lack of attention to the value of knowledge itself and the domination of imitative approaches over rationalization are among the weaknesses of this educational philosophy. There are also strengths and weaknesses in its axiology. In the social dimension, the stability of class values and the lack of power of choice are negative points. On the other hand, in terms of individual values, the commitment of individuals and the role of the family in transferring values are considered to be positive points.

The purpose of this paper is the identification and analysis of goals of personalist moral education. To achieve this purpose, the reconstructed form ofFrankena’s practical syllogism is used. The findings are organized in two main parts: “ideal of personalist moral education” and “intermediate goal of personalist moral education”. The findings indicate that the ideal of personalist moral education is to become a person. To become a person refers to the student's growth and perfection. To become a person is personalist response to the oughts of human life. Accordingly, sustaining life and happiness depends on becoming a person and achieving personal life. The concept of person has moral connotation. The student's becoming a person manifests moral life. This moral life is virtue-oriented. Thus, it is held that a person is virtuous and has acquired moral virtues. According to this aim, the intermediate goal of personalist moral education is to introduce moral virtues in education. This goal puts personalist moral education in the context of virtue moral education approach. However, through philosophical foundations, the personalist moral education has provided special reading on virtue-based moral education. Unlike other versions of virtue-based moral education, personalist moral education puts moral laws and principles in the framework of moral virtues and habits. Furthermore, in this approach, the role of freedom of choice in moral education is a pivotal role.

Cognitive sciences by explaining the functions and capacities of the mind/brain, have created new possibilities for educators. It is obvious that application of these understandings will be different in the various aspects of education. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the contribution of cognitive sciences to religious education. Since representational-computational theory is believed to be the dominant approach in cognitive sciences, this theory is reckoned to be the basis of the mind’s functioning. According to this theory, cognitive processing has two components: first, cognitive representations occur in diverse ways; and, second, all cognitive processings feature an emotional aspect. On the other hand, religious experiences also have various aspects. Therefore, the question is; what kinds of relation are there between religious experiences and the various types of representations? It seems that we are facing a trihedral model in cognitive approach to religious education of which the first aspect/face would be the types of representations, the second one the different kinds of religious experience, and the third aspect being the emotional component which is a ground for all mental processes. The results indicate that, first, in (religious) education one cannot separate rational and emotional components, because emotion is the inseparable part of cognition; and second efficacious religious education involves the activation of all types of representations. Of course, to achieve this goal, attention should be paid to the relations between the kinds of religious experience and the relevant types of representations.

The main purpose of this paper is to focus on similarities and differences betweenthe concept of “Human Nature” as elaborated by Rousseau in Emile with the concept of “Fitrah”, propounded in Ayatollah Shah-Abadi’s views. We used the conceptual and comparative analysis to develop the main argument of this paper, which revealed that there are significant differences between these two concepts. On the one hand, it is argued that that Rousseau focuses on the common nature of human being in Emile. His views regarding human nature is a priori, distinguishing two qualities, animal and supra animal. In terms of a naturalistic approach, he lays emphasis on common elements shared by human beings including natural goodness, lawfulness, universality and potentialities for certain dispositions and conceptions, and the realization of those potentialities. For Rousseau, human nature pre-exists, with a secondary nature being overlaid by education. On the other hand, Ayatollah Shah-Abadi employed a rational, traditional (called “Naghli”) and hermeneutic approach to explain “Fitrah”. A comparison of Rousseau’s views concerning human nature with those subscribed by Shah-Abadi regarding Fitrah shows wide differences, despite some apparent similarities. Certain elements in Shah-Abadi’s views such as “immunity from wrongdoing”, divine orientation of human Fitrah and its predisposition toward monotheism, and its immunity from alteration, stand in sharp contrast to Rousseau’s ideas.

Providing effective models of moral education is a concern for many moral education scholars, theorists and practitioners. Integrative Ethical Education is formed on the basis of Moral Expertise idea and uses the potentials of both rational approach and intuitionist approach in moral education. The purpose of this article is, first, to introduce and explain the Moral Expertise idea and Integrative Ethical Education model; and, second, to critique this model to determine its strengths and weaknesses. The research method is a descriptive-analytical-critical one. The findings indicate that morality has four components: moral sensitivity, moral judgment, moral motivation and moral action, and ethical expertise involves growth in all of these four areas. For this growth to occur, the simultaneous nurturing of intuitive mind and deliberative mind is necessary, which is made possible through Integrative Ethical Education. In this paper, the principles of Integrative Ethical Education together with their step-by-step program at school are proposed in detail, and criticized.