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Realism in Education

Jun 12, 2025

Overview

This lecture outlines the philosophy of Realism in education, its key forms, notable proponents, foundational concepts, and its influence on curriculum, teaching, and school systems.

Forms of Realism

  • Scholastic Realism: Pursues truth over classical beauty, emphasizes faith and reason.
  • Humanistic Realism: Focuses on content and practical application of classics.
  • Social Realism: Values practice over scholarly knowledge, trains individuals for social participation.
  • Sense Realism: Prioritizes sensory experience and science, advocates for education based on laws of nature.

Key Proponents of Realism

  • Aristotle: Father of Realism; reality is purposeful, knowable via causality and reason.
  • St. Thomas Aquinas: Integrated Aristotle with Christian theology; emphasized faith and reason.
  • Francis Bacon: Advocated scientific/inductive method, warned against the Four Idols of human error.
  • John Locke: Emphasized sensory experience, tabula rasa (blank slate) mind, and empirical learning.

Core Concepts of Realism

  • Reality exists independently of perception.
  • Knowledge is acquired through observation, experience, experiment, and science.
  • Universals exist for a reason; the external world is objectively real.

Characteristics and Approaches in Education

  • Reality and truth are central; education trains rational, practical individuals.
  • Curriculum is highly organized, subject-centered, and focuses on sciences, social sciences, and mathematics.
  • Emphasis on real-world experience, direct observation, and performance-based teaching methods.
  • Learning should be practical, systematic, and aligned with students' interests.
  • Teachers must be knowledgeable, provide guidance, establish order, and relate content to real-life needs.

Realism and the School

  • Schools reflect the needs and realities of society, not individual or political wants.
  • Subjects focus on the physical world: math, science, social studies.
  • Role of the teacher: impart and demonstrate knowledge; role of the learner: participate and manipulate reality.
  • Change is seen as a process toward perfection and order.

Key Terms & Definitions

  • Scholastic Realism — Merges faith (religion) and reason (philosophy) in pursuit of truth.
  • Humanistic Realism — Values practical learning from classical literature for real-life applications.
  • Social Realism — Prepares students for active roles in society through practical experience.
  • Sense Realism — Stresses sensory-based, scientific learning about the natural world.
  • Tabula Rasa — The mind at birth is blank, knowledge comes from experience.
  • Four Causes (Aristotle) — Material, formal, efficient, and final reasons to explain existence.
  • Four Idols (Bacon) — Sources of error: den/cave, tribe, marketplace, theatre.

Action Items / Next Steps

  • Review Aristotle’s Four Causes and Bacon’s Four Idols for deeper understanding.
  • Prepare examples of how Realist ideas shape modern education, curriculum, and teaching methods.
  • Read about key figures: Aristotle, St. Thomas Aquinas, Francis Bacon, John Locke.