Education is not a mere piling up of more and more pieces of information. Rather, it is a process of deciding for ourselves what we believe. It is a process of autonomously deciding to understand what is and what is not real, true, good, beautiful, and logical. When a person realizes and understands the meaning of these terms, he or she will be at the right path that can lead him or her if not to the attainment of perfection to the ultimate development of his or her spirit or mind. The task of answering to the question of what is real, true, good, beautiful, and logical is not an easy one. But when an answer is been given many other issues and answers can be derived from this, that can give an explanation and an answer to other important life questions.
A deeper understanding of what is real can be better made if it is analyzed and answered in relation to the question of what is true. Real is a spiritual source from which all things originate and, due to the power of which all things exist (Gutek, 2004). What is real is universal, unchanging and eternally true and, is rooted in the universe’s underlying spirituality and intellectuality while, it is not based on time, place, environment, or situation (Gutek, 2004). Accordingly, as Plato noted, truth cannot be found in the world of matter because such a world is not permanent rather, it is changing (Ozmon and Craver, 2007)
Reality is an extension of a highly abstract universal idea, principle or concept, such as Plato’s form of the Good, Hegel’s Absolute or Emerson’s Macrocosm while, the truth that is present within us must be brought to consciousness, to our spiritual and mental surface through a process of knowing (Gutek, 2004).
In respect of the educational area, students must try and search inside themselves in order to find out what is true or i.e. the truth that is present to them. And here is where the teachers’ role lays its importance. Teachers must be the source from which students can derive motives in order to seek for truth. Teachers must provide students with an environment clear of false images created by consumerism and disinformation that characterize the image of society (Gutek, 2004). But in order for the teachers’ goal to be successfully achieved, students must at first be awakened from their home background about what is true. Parents must prepare their children before entering the school world and be “submitted” to the teachers’ hands, to take the first steps toward truth. Therefore, the true student having the teacher as a guide will be in a position ready to begin a spiritual and intellectual journey in order to find out not only what is real and true but also what is good and beautiful (Gutek, 2004).
As previously mentioned, since what is real and true is spiritual and nonmaterial it consequently follows, that true education must relate to ideas instead to matter. Based only on this assumption it will be possible through the contemplation of ideas for God to be reached, since God is a pure idea. And as Augustine pointed out, the search for truth is at the same time a search for God and respectively, a true education leads a person to God (Ozmon and Craver, 2007). Moreover, pure ideas consist the major components leading a person to the true knowledge. Particularly, true knowledge can be acquired through the recall of the ideas that are latently present in the human mind (Gutek, 2004). Apart from the recall of ideas, true knowledge can be achieved through reasoning and specifically, through the surpass of reason through faith. And as Augustine noted, it is only through faith that a person can achieve the acquisition of true ideas and true knowledge (Ozmon and Craver, 2007).
What is true must undoubtedly be characterized by lasting moral values. The search for truth requires personal discipline and a steady and loyal character (Ozmon and Craver, 2007). One can suppress discussion about moral values, but one cannot suppress the development of values and the formation of morals (Carter, 1984). The formation of morals it is of the basic components which lead to the self-discovery of truth. Hence, moral education goes on all over the school building-in the classrooms, in assemblies, in the gym. It strengthens the teacher-student relationship. Therefore, the school cannot but be a force for growth and for good in the moral life of the student and consequently, moral education is an inevitable role of the schools while for the teachers themselves, it comes with the territory (Carter, 1984). In addition to these, character development must also aim at motivating students to improve their thinking abilities in the deepest possible way. Students must direct their thinking toward more universal concepts than those employed in the day-to-day living matters, reaching by this way the ideal goal of wisdom and truth and therefore, the foremost goal of a good education (Ozmon and Craver, 2007).
From the above assumptions and the answer given to what is real and true, it can be said that the values of reality and truth are universal, permanent, unchanging and timeless. Consequently, they are not relative to particular cultures at given times or arise from personal and subjective choices as the Pragmatists’ and Existentialists’ supporters state respectively.
Going further, an also important issue involved with the particular educational philosophy that is currently being pointed out, is the one that answers the question of what is good. Plato, for example, defended the thesis that good is all those existing things that are imperfect copies of eternal, unchanging, immaterial archetypes, forms, or ideas (Gutek, 2004). What is good is evidently something complete. When humans manage to fulfil all the necessary presuppositions which relate to a situation they consequently, manage to bring the particular “situation” to a complete end and therefore, manage to attain good. Specifically, only when the end of something is completed, the chief good is achieved since, there are evidently more than one ends, some of which are not completed and from which humans make a choice of (Cahn, 1997). In accordance with these, a separation must be made between actions and making, because while making has an end other than itself, action cannot since for good action itself is its end (Cahn, 1997). But as Plato noted when the essential form of Good is perceived there comes beauty and specifically, in the visible world it gives birth to light and its master while in the intellectual world spreads out in the ultimate values of truth and reason (Gutek, 2004).
When humans act and do the good they can be characterized as good. Accordingly, when humans attain the excellences of the two parts of the soul, the one which has a rational principle in itself and, the other not having a rational principle in itself but is able to obey such a principle, they do the good and consequently, they can be called good (Cahn, 1997).
In respect of the education process, the good is when students are involved in a procedure of thinking about and realizing not only the purposes of life but also the ways through which they can become active participants in such kind of purposes (Ozmon and Craver, 2007). By this way, as Royce pointed out, students can become a part of the universal design and hence, can achieve the highest good since they are in a position of successfully developing a sense of loyalty to moral principles as well as to causes (Ozmon and Craver, 2007).
What is good consequently, relates to the good life. Because no one who has attained the good can act oppose it to it and therefore, not living a good life. When humans manage to realize what kinds of thing consist generally the good life then it can be said that they have practical wisdom, a “component” necessary for humans which, places them in a position to be able to deliberate well enough about what is good and expedient for them (Cahn, 1997). In addition to this, as Kant stated, humans are motivated and led to think and seek out the good only if they are been given the appropriate education, an education whose components, apart from others, include the great value of discipline (Ozmon and Craver, 2007).
The realization and attainment of the good is a consequent of the adherence to a good system of nurture, of the education’s creation of good natures which while receiving the help and guidance of a good education, grow even better than they once were (Cahn, 1997).
Going further, if we are in a position to characterize something as real, true, and good the consequently, we can not do otherwise but conclude that this something is also beautiful. It is impossible for something to be real, true, and good and not at the same time be beautiful. It can be added though that beautiful includes all those virtues of the soul which lead a person to act with wisdom, justice and honesty. The soul of the person is characterized by those habits that are healthy, beautiful and good and which constitute the significant value of virtue (Cahn, 1997).
What is real, true, good and consequently, beautiful is now and always has been real, true, good and beautiful and is not relative to changing times, situations and circumstances; rather, it is eternal, universal and unchanging (Gutek, 2004). The values of reality, truth, goodness, and beauty do not depend on anything but rather they are the same for all humans, regarding their colour, gender, ethnicity or social position. And this is an assumption contrasting to the one made by Dewey J., who supported the idea that values such as goodness, truth, and beauty are relative to particular circumstances, to people living at particular time and place, a notion he based on the idea that human experiences arise in concrete and particular situations (Gutek, 2004).
An also important issue is the one referring to logic. What is logical is apparently something that is specific which correlates with that which is general. A situation or something particular as a “unit” must said to obtain the trait of logic if only when compared to the whole in general is consistent with it. Hence, there is a strong and absolute relationship between the whole and the part which, in order to be called as a logical one must have its parts consistent with the whole (Gutek, 2004).
In respect of the educational field, logic constitutes a significant “component” and trait that needs to be flourished in students’ mind. Students must be in a position to think and act logically if they are going to obtain the ultimate values of reality, goodness, and beauty and if they are therefore going to be led to the self-discovery of truth and hence, achieve excellence and perfection. It is by this way that logic needs to be worked out in the education of children if we want to develop major, holistic ideas and concepts in the students’ mind (Gutek, 2004). Logic does not depend on the students’ choice as the supporters of Existentialism suppose, who state that logic is subject to choice and that students have the right to choose to be logical or illogical or be deductive, drawing their own conclusions (Gutek, 2004).
In conclusion, the above answer given to the question of what is real, true, good, beautiful, and logical describes an educational philosophy which, in a major degree applies and adheres the traits and points of view of the Idealistic educational philosophy. Education is about reality, truth, goodness, beauty, and logic which, in general are values being the same for everyone in everyplace on Earth (Gutek, 2004). And according to Plato since, truth is eternal and, perfect people in respect of the purposes of education, must aim at the acquisition of philosophical wisdom and the conception of true ideas (Ozmon and Craver, 2007). This comes to an opposition to Aristotle’s doctrine which supports that moral virtue, i.e. goodness of character is formed by habit and that one becomes good by doing good and additionally, wisdom is acquired by teaching and requires sophisticated intelligence (Cahn, 1997).
The terms real, true, good, beautiful, and logical are terms connected and related to each other, one leading to the other. The realization of these terms and therefore, the acquisition of reality, truth, goodness, beauty, and logic constitutes the right and appropriate path that can lead a person to the self-discovery of truth, to the attainment if not of perfection and excellence, to the major degree of achieving as much as a person can.
References
Cahn, S. (1997) Classic and contemporary readings in the philosophy of education. New York: McGraw Hill 0070096198
Carter, R.E. (1937) Dimensions of Moral Education. University of Toronto Press. Toronto Buffalo London
Gutek. G.L. (2004) Philosophical and ideological voices in education. Boston: Pearson Education 0205360181
Ozmon, H.A., & Craver, S.M. (2007). Philosophical foundations of education (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
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