The Catholic Philosophy of Education

If philosophy were an exact science, such as mathematics, the task of the writer on the Philosophy of Education would be lighter but, as the case stands, we find men, in every department of philosophy, differing profoundly in the conclusions which they draw. A prevalent school of Philosophy in our own day confines the meaning of life to this world, rejecting the existence of God and the continuance of personal consciousness beyond the grave as myths which have no claim to human belief. In a word, to these men human life is nothing more than a high form of animal life, and the purpose of education is to render the individual more aggressive and more efficient in the struggle for existence, either alone or in groups. They reject wholly the existence of any supernatural power which could redeem the fallen man and find the highest ideal of human life laid down in the physical heredity of the child. Over against this philosophy should be placed the philosophy maintained by the Catholic Church, which aims at perfecting man in the present life as a means of fitting him for a life hereafter, which seeks to suppress aggressiveness and enthrone brotherly love as the controlling power in the human affairs; which finds one of the chief functions of education to be the redemption of fallen man, the elimination of low instincts, and the substitution of the supernatural virtues built up in the light of faith and with the assistance of Divine grace. The philosophy of education tends to quicken and deepen the flow of conviction into action, of doctrine into conduct, and it is achieving these ends in ever-increasing measure in our day. The current educational literature, monographs, textbooks, and popular treatises are forming all our teachers and animating their work with the current philosophy , which is, for the most part a philosophy wholly at variance with the Catholic ideas and ideals of life. If the pure philosophy drawn upon be wholesome, the philosophy of education will have equal effectiveness in debasing life and in corrupting social institutions. It is therefore, a matter of the utmost importance to Catholics that the philosophy of education employed in training of Catholic teachers be not only technically efficient, but that it be such as draws from the pure foundations of Catholic philosophy wholesome principles of life.

(Extracted from Philosophy of Education by Thomas Edward Shields, PH.D., LL.D)