Valencia Colleges Inc.

Graduate Studies – Master of Arts in Teaching major in Social Studies

COURSE:
Socio-Philosophical
Foundation of Education
Presentation on: Branches of Philosophy
Prepared by: Windel Beth Zafra- Torino
 Epistemology

Logic
Philosophy

Metaphysics
 What is Epistemology?
- derived from the Greek terms episteme (“knowledge”)
and logos (“reason”) “the theory of knowledge.”
- branch that is concerned with the nature and scope of knowledge and
how knowledge relates to truth, belief, and justification.

What are the key elements of a proper Epistemology?

 Valid – our senses are valid, and the only way to gain information
about the world.
 Reason – is our method of gaining knowledge & acquiring
understanding.
 Logic – is our method of maintaining consistency within our set of
knowledge.
 Objectivity – is our means of associating knowledge with reality to
determine its validity.
 Concepts – are abstracts of specific details of reality or of other
abstractions.
 Epistemology
What Is Knowledge?
Knowledge: is the awareness and
understanding of particular Justified
aspects of reality.

Knowledge requires three True

necessary and sufficient conditions;
truth, belief and Belief
justification.
Michael Polanyi
 Epistemology
Major branches of Epistemology
Two major branch of Epistemology:

2. Rationalism
- emphasizes reasons rather
1. Empiricism
than experiences and
- a role of experience, especially
observations as the primary
experience based on
basis for justifying beliefs and
perceptual observations by
claims.
the five senses.
- Rational and logical human
- refer experience and
mind is the source for new
observation when beliefs and
knowledge and not the
claims are justified and
material world around us.
proven.
- A knowledge acquired by
intuition or is innate.
 Uses of Epistemology by non-philosopher: Epistemology

1. Formal Epistemology 2. Genetic Epistemology 3. Social Epistemology

- Is a study of - study of cognitive - about social

questions. development among context for creating
children and how children new knowledge.
understand, learn and
acquire new knowledge.
Ex. : Mathematical
logic, statistics, Ex. : Sociology,
linguistics, computing
Ex.: Sensory motor Psychology and
and other academic
scheme Education
fields.
 Epistemology
Implication of Epistemology

 For educators, it is important to teach students the specific knowledge

that experts in various field have discovered or constructed, perhaps
more so to ensure that the students learn the specific.
(Wong Yew Leong)
What is Metaphysics?

- “To reach beyond nature (physis) as we perceive it, and

to discover the "true nature" of things, their ultimate
essence and the reason for being.”
- Metaphysics is the study of the basic structures and
categories of what exists, or of reality.
- It is the branch that deals with the first principles of
things including abstract concepts such as being, knowing
substance, cause, identity, time and space.

Branches of Metaphysics
1. Cosmology – a branch of astronomy
concerned with the study of origin and
evolution of the universe, from the
Bigbang to today and on into the
future.
2. Ontology – study of being, more
broadly it study concepts that directly
relate to being, in particular becoming
existence, reality as well as the basic
categories of being and their relations.
Metaphysics
Four Philosophical Thoughts related
to Metaphysics
1. Idealism – ideas are the only true
reality, the only thing worth knowing.
2. Realism – believes that reality exists
independent of the human mind.
3. Pragmatism (Experimentalism) – only
those things that are experience or
observe are real.
4. Existentialism – is objective and lies
within the individual.
 Metaphysics

Implications:
• Education is the communication of facts about reality. If metaphysics
is the part of the equation, it needs to be acknowledge. The
metaphysical world and the material world are duality.
 Logic
Logic
What is Logic?

- A tool to develop reasonable conclusions based on

a given set of data.
- It is free of emotion and deals very specifically in
information in its very purest form.
 Logic
Logic
Sub-set of Logic
1. Informal Logic
– mode used in everyday reasoning and argument analysis.
TYPES:
a. Deductive – uses information from a large set and applies that information
to any member of that set.
Ex. All English professors are boring (major evidence are premise)
Lauren is an English professor (minor evidence as premise)
Therefore, Lauren is boring. (conclusion)

b. Inductive – uses specific data from a larger, generalize conclusion. It is

considered opposite of deductive reason.
Ex. Yesterday, you left for work at 7:15 A.M and arrived at work on time.
Today, you left for work at 7:15 AM and arrives at work on time.
Therefore, if you leave at 7:15 AM you will always arrived
 Logic
2. Formal Logic – deals with deductive reasoning and the validity of the
inferences produce. For an argument to work, the conclusion must logically
2.follow
Formal Logic
the premises and the premises must be true.
Ex. Every cat is mammal.
– deals with deductive
Some carnivores are cats. reasoning and the validity of the inferences
produce.
Therefore, For
some an argument
carnivores to work, the conclusion must logically
are mammals.
follow the premises and the premises must be true.

Ex. Every cat is mammal.

Some carnivores are cats.
Therefore, some carnivores are mammals.
 Logic

Implications:

Logic to education deals with the factual side of the lesson. It is solely
based on the data and information given. It deals with reason
according to the information in its purest form.
 Philosophy’s Relationships to Education
SUBDIVISION OF PHILOSOPHY RELATED EDUCATIONAL CONCERNS

 Metaphysics:  Knowledge of most worth:

 What is real? The curriculum

 Epistemology:  How we teach and learn:

 What is knowledge based on? Method of instruction

How we organize and structure course,

 Logic: lessons and units
 How can we reason ?
Reporter:

Windel Beth Zafra Torino