This document discusses key concepts of existentialism including ontology, epistemology, ethics, and being. It outlines existentialist views on teaching and learning, curriculum, and provides a critique. The document is divided into two parts. Part A covers existentialist proponents such as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Sartre, and Jaspers and their views on reality, knowledge, morality, and human development. Part B discusses implications for education including how the learner should be able to freely identify what is good for themselves, the role of the student in curriculum choices, and existentialist criticisms of school as dehumanizing.

1. PART A
References:
ontology, epistemology,
Barett, William. What is Existentialism?. New
York: Grove Press, Inc. 1965. ethics and being
Gutek, Gerald. Philosophical and Ideological Per-
spective on Education, Second Edition. Ren Guray
USA: Allyn and Bacon, 1997.
Kneller, George F. Existentialism and Education.
New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1967. PART B
Morris, Van Cleve. Philosophy and the American
School: An Introduction to the Philosophy
teaching & learning,
of Education. Boston: Houghton Mifflin,
1961. curriculum, critique
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and Learning. Ed. Donald Vandenberg. Chi- Gelai Florendo
cago: University of Illinois Press, 1969 Girlie Florendo
Ozmon and Craver. Philosophical Foundations of
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Education (From Confucius to Dewey). Lon-
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EDFD 201 Dr. Mike Muega
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2. EXISTENTIALISM AND EDUCATION
Maria Lorena Guray and Girlie Florendo
PART A PART B
Being and Teaching and Curriculum Existential
Proponents Ontology Epistemology Ethics Critique
Development Learning Content Psychology
*Reality is how *Knowledge is sub- *We are the final *The authentic *The learner *No definite rules Existentialist Existentialists
we see it; we jective, personal arbiter of what is man is self-aware should freely be about curriculum thinking has also have condemned
Søren decide its mean- consciousness and good, morality and self-choosing. able to identify content. The stu- influenced of de- the school as a
ing and signifi- feelings. and values. what is good for dent-in-situation velopment of hu- dehumanizing
Kierkegaard I am that which
cance. them with out making a choice manistic psychol- force that indoc-
The thing is to find a Man is con- must overcome any external in- should be the ogy. trinates the indi-
Existence pre- truth that is true for demned to be itself again and fluences. deciding factor; vidual and steals
Friedrich cedes essence. me, to find the idea free. (Sartre) again. (Nietzsche) free to choose Rollo May and personal initia-
Nietzsche (Sartre) for which I can live subjects. Viktor Frankl were tive.
and die. “The highest Pre-existential The emphasis is the major propo-
“We mean that (Kierkegaard) morality is recog- Period that one can cre- nents of They have
man first of all nition of freedom; ate ideas relevant Humanities and “existential psy- preached indi-
Karl Jaspers exists, encounters Existentialist epis- the lowest moral- - prior to puberty; to one’s own literature are im- chotherapy”. vidualism that is
himself, surges temology emerges ity is the subjec- not yet conscious needs and inter- portant as they May’s primary often harmful to
up in the world- from the recognition tion of individual of personal iden- ests. Each man is allow personal theme of real individuals
and defines him- that human experi- consciousness to tity responsible for interpretations.
Jean-Paul “anxiety” fits because it pro-
self afterwards.” ence and knowledge standards or prin- shaping his edu- neatly within the motes selfish-
Existential Mo- Many options for
Sartre (Sartre) are subjective, per- ciples which have cation and life. framework of ness, egoism and
ment learning should
sonal, rational and been preor- existentialism and disregard for oth-
The ultimate and irrational. dained.” (Jaspers) Education should be open to the
- awareness of free will. ers. Spoiled brats
final Reality re- focus on the indi- students. Teach-
presence in the have sometimes
Martin sides within the Assumes that the I am therefore vidual human ers may choose Carl Jung’s
world; insight into been the results
self of the individ- individual is respon- ultimately respon- reality- living and variety of meth- “humanistic psy-
Heidegger his own con- (pseudo-self ac-
ual person sible for his own sible for my own feeling being; ods. chology” concepts
sciousness re- tualization).
through the knowledge… choices. The indi- should foster un- of "Self" as an
sponsibilities. It should con-
choices he vidual is the au- derstanding of integrating princi- Existentialists
makes. It originates in, and thor of his own anxiety, the sider the degree
Edmund Realizations: ple of the human have called upon
is composed of, good. He can knowledge and of freedom
psyche, active us to become
Husserl Man has the final what exists in the make himself -life is a series of principles of hu- needed by the
imagination and aware of our ex-
responsibility to individual’s con- accountable to no choices; our man condition. students to
human conscious- istence as au-
decide for himself sciousness and feel- other moral force choices will define merge their own
ness thentic beings,
who and what he ings as a result of or factor. us; we are only; The school should perceived possi-
Gabriel Marcel but this has been
is, and by exten- his experiences and accountable to be free places bilities with the Abraham corrupted by the
sion, what his the projects he “What is good?— ourselves; we are where students existing ones. Maslow’s concept “do your own
reality is. adopts in the course All that heightens responsible for are encouraged to of “self-
Subjects are thing” ethic which
Simone of his life. the feeling of the choices we do things they actualization” is
There is no sig- merely tools for could lead to an-
power, the will to make; we choose want to do. Chil- parallel to the
de Beauvoir nificance to things the realization of archy.
power, power for all; and that dren should goal of existential
or events other itself in man.” choose their own subjectivity.
death is the inevi- living.
than the meaning (Nietzsche) paths from a Learning is found
table conclusion
we as humans number of options in the students’ Carl Rogers re-
for existing
give to them. Good is the posi- made available willingness to garded Self as a
(called angst or
tive affirmation of for them. choose and give person is in a
anxiety)
self, while evil is meaning to the process of be-
following the A vital part is to subject. coming, such that
crowd and not examine the per- the person can
being true to one- verted and ugly Classroom dia-
trust their own
self. side of life as well logues designed
ability to deal
as the good side; to stimulate
with the world,
a truthful kind of awareness that
and show a high
education with no each person cre-
degree of sponta-
cover-up. ates a self-
neity, compassion
concept thru sig-
and self direction.
nificant choices.