[Lecture Four] Philosophy of Education
by Dr. Leonard Peikoff
Total Time: 1 hour, 32 minutes
Course summary: In this lecture series, Dr. Leonard Peikoff explores the nature of education, why contemporary schools do not achieve it, and what the proper basis is. In it, he discusses why education must be conceptual, the principles of proper instruction, and the essential content of a proper education. Read more »
In this lecture: In this lecture, Dr. Peikoff discusses what content and subject matter should be taught to children. Taking reading, writing, and basic arithmetic as the basis of all education, Peikoff focuses on the essential role of history, mathematics, science, and literature in guiding children in the development of their rational faculty and preparing them for successful use of their reason as adults.
Study Guide
This material is designed to help you digest the lecture content. You can also download below a PDF study guide for the entire course.
| What factors determine what to include in a proper educational curriculum? |
| Explain why the trade-off between depth and breadth is not an optional issue. |
| What is the proper approach to writing instruction? |
| How does mathematics instruction apply beyond purely quantitative reasoning? |
| Why must history be taught before other fields of the humanities? |
| What should be the main focus of studying history? |
| Are there any higher level cognitive benefits that come from understanding history? |
| How should science be included in the curriculum? |
| Why is literature preferred as the one field of fine arts to include in education? |
| How does literature prepare the mind for philosophy? |
| How should children acquire proficiency in practical fields? |
| Does a rational curriculum teach values? How? |
Q&A Guide
Below is a list of questions from the audience taken from this lecture, along with (approximate) time stamps.
| 1:09:38 | You quoted The Art of Teaching. Would you give the bibliographical data? |
| 1:10:31 | Do you advocate instructional teaching for college and graduate school professors? |
| 1:10:48 | What do you think of the Montessori method? |
| 1:15:31 | Is there a value to studying literature in the foreign language itself? |
| 1:16:49 | Instead of having grades, shouldn’t you have a system whereby the person takes a course and has to keep at that level, until he reaches a certain degree of proficiency? |
| 1:18:20 | How would you structure a history curriculum from kindergarten to grade 12? |
| 1:19:57 | Would you be specific about what you would teach in rational living? |
| 1:21:29 | Are you implying that scientific history is the best way to teach science? |
| 1:22:37 | Is homework important and how much is necessary? |
| 1:24:27 | Do you think introspection is a part of education, and how should it be taught? |
| 1:26:14 | Can you say anything in general about discipline? |
| 1:30:18 | Do you see the teaching of logic—which has had a profound effect on their ability to think logically—through computer programming as an essential or valuable adjunct? |