Definitions and Views on Education
The term ‘education’ has been interpreted by different people in different
ways through different periods of human civilization. The education of a human
being is perhaps the most cherished goal of any human civilization that ever
existed or is yet to come in this world. Therefore, thinkers, philosophers,
and educationists have been trying their best to define education and in doing
so, they have left the mark of their own values and philosophies on the
definitions they have coined. Education doesn’t have one precise universally
accepted definition.
The search for an all-comprehensive definition of
education is still continuing and in all probability, will continue as long as
the human race maintains its diverse socio-cultural values. However, a survey
of the often quoted definitions and ideas of education given by the great
philosophers and educationists can broadly be categorized into three major
trends. One group of definitions focuses on the spiritual emancipation of the
human soul, another stresses the emphasis on the development of inherent human
potentialities to a desirable level, while still another group gives
importance to the social context and nature of education. Education, like
philosophy, is also closely related to human life.
