This document discusses the philosophy of education, defining it as the academic study of the goals, definitions, and underlying assumptions about the purpose of education. It explains that the philosophy of education critically examines concepts like human nature, educational values, and the relationship between education and social progress. Finally, it outlines three main functions of the philosophy of education: speculative (understanding the whole issue of education), normative (providing guidance towards educational ideals), and critical (providing rational criticism of educational data and concepts).