ABSTRACT
According to Hirst (1982), ‘three distinctive features’ have characterized the kind of philosophy of education which first developed in England in the 1960s. Philosophy of education has used the techniques of conceptual analysis to examine major terms used in educational discussion (for example, ‘education’, ‘teaching’, ‘growth’, and ‘creativity’) so as to explore the complexities in their meanings. This has led to greater clarity in the meanings of educational beliefs and principles employing such terms. Secondly, philosophy has examined the justifications offered for educational principles (such as those associated with ‘liberal romanticism’ or ‘educational conservatism’). This work ‘has sharpened up an awareness of the valuejudgements often implicit in educational doctrines and of the philosophical beliefs about the nature of knowledge, mind and moral values that were being presupposed’ by adherents of such doctrines or ideologies. Thirdly, philosophy of education has helped in the development of more adequate educational theory by contributing more justifiable philosophical beliefs, based on contemporary work in the general field of philosophy.
