Introduction

“Education without philosophy is blind and philosophy without education is invalid”

Education and Philosophy are two sides of one coin, they exist side by side, they complete one another yet they are different from each other. It is not very difficult to illustrate the relationship between the two. Education and philosophy, the two disciplines, are very closely related in some areas, and in some areas, they overlap each other. According to J.S.Ross, “philosophy and education are like the two sides of the same coin; one is implied by the other; the former is the contemplative side of life, while the latter is the active side”. Education can be called the dynamic side of philosophy because philosophy is wisdom; education transmits that wisdom from one generation to the other.

Education without philosophy is like a person who knows that he has work to do but on the other hand he does not know the actual work which he has to do. The existence of education is due to philosophy and in the same way, the existence of philosophy is due to education. When we define education as the modification of behaviour, the direction in which, modification is to be carried out is determined by philosophy.

The direction of Education is determined by the philosophy:

Education means the modification of the child’s behaviour. The problem is in which direction this change should be carried out and what values, to strive for. This is where philosophy plays a major role in pointing out the way to be followed by the educator in the modification of the child’s behaviour and determines the goals of life. Philosophy, thus, gives direction to education.

Education is the dynamic side of philosophy:

Education is the process by which the findings made by any philosopher can be propagated to the next generation. Every philosophical thought is put into practice by education. Philosophical principles are lifeless without the help of education. Therefore education is the practical side of philosophy.

Great philosophers are great educationists

Great philosophers have also been great educationists. The great philosophers like GandhiTagoreRadhakrishnanSocratesPlatoAristotleLockeComeniusFroebel, Dewey, and Rousseau have been great educators. Socrates, who left no written word, became a famous philosopher with the help of his disciples like Plato and Aristophanes. Socrates gave to the world the ‘method of questioning and cross-questioning in teaching. Rousseau suggested that education should follow nature. it proves that all great philosophers have been great educationists.”