VOCABULARY CHART 1
VOCABULARY CHART
Jamie Zander
School of Education, Liberty University
VOCABULARY CHART 2
VOCABULARY CHART
Vocabulary Chart
DIRECTIONS: Complete this vocabulary chart using your reading assignments (i.e., the Gutek textbook and internet database
searching). Definitions are to be technically specific to philosophy of education. Instead of copying the definition verbatim,
paraphrase it in words that would be meaningful to someone new to the field of philosophy. Avoid using the term itself in the
definition. The definition need not be lengthy but must be long enough to convey the full meaning.
1. philosophy The beliefs and values which drive educators, whether individual or collective. This includes the
knowledge and understanding one has in all areas of study.
2. worldview How we perceive the world and the truth around us.
3. metaphysics The understanding of truth in all faucets of life.
4. cosmology The belief that the creation of the universe happened by the Big Bang.
5. teleology All things have a purpose, pre-determined pathway to a final result.
6. theology The systematic study of religion and its beliefs and values. Mainly seen at a seminary or a
university.
7. atheism The belief that there are no higher being(s) in existence.
8. pantheism The view that the universe is an expression of God- divine
9. deism There is one God that created the world, allows free agency
10. theism There is a God(s)/deities that created the world and has an active influence in our lives
11. polytheism Belief that there are multiple gods or deities
12. monotheism Belief that only one God/deity exist
13. Anthropology Belief that a child's education comes from family, school, and community life. (Encyclopedia
Britannica)
14. ontology Visual representation/framework to help guide the content discussion. (Stancin, 2020)
15. epistemology Study of our nature, origin, and our limits of knowledge
16. skepticism Assuming there is nothing to know about the “divine”
17. agnosticism Idea that the existence of the “divine” in unknowable
18. a priori deciding something before
19. a posteriori deciding something after
20. special revelation Knowledge of the divine, which can be discovered through observation or reasoning “revelation
VOCABULARY CHART 3
directly to an individual”
21. general revelation Knowledge of the divine, which can be discovered through observation or reasoning “general
population”
22. logic A set of principles for reasoning, that leads to valued opinions
23. correspondence
validity
Truth aligns with fact
24. coherence validity Truth relies on other thoughts and propositions
25. pragmatic validity The ability of the results of a measurement to predict future results
26. axiology Values to be developed in the learner
27. ethics An agreed upon framework of moral principle and values that drive an individual
28. aesthetics A learner centered curriculum that helps the learner make meaning of aesthetic experiences- in a
discovery- based way
29. dichotomy
(Pearcey book summary)
Belief that you should not separate religious values from your life, or you become fragmented
30. curriculum Subjects in the course of study
31. pedagogy how you teach. What tools are in your toolbox?
32. modernism A way to revitalize the way we view art, sciences, politics, etc.
33. logocentrism Philosophy that believes that all thought is based on some authoritative, external source
34. metanarrative A guiding belief system that allows people to set educational goals and provides legitimacy for the
process
35. deconstruction Jacques Derrida theory that questions traditional beliefs about “certainty” and “truth”
36. limited absolutism Philosophy that you will always be limited in your soul
37. unlimited absolutism Idea of being one with god and the universe
38. relativism The belief that truth and mortality are aligned with cultural, historical, and societal backgrounds
39. positivism The belief that the only way to gain “true” knowledge is through the scientific methods, validity is
in the proof.
40. utopian Principles that produce a society based on their ideas of how things “should be” in the future
41. transmission A goal to mold people to fit into the existing culture
42. transformation Individual change brought on by thought and activity
43. naturalism A philosophy where ultimate freedom is given to the learner, based on their nature
VOCABULARY CHART 4
44. materialism (physicalism) all facts are dependent on tangible processes
45. eclecticism The practice of getting your teaching ideas using a broad range of sources
46. anthropocentric Everything revolves around man
47. Absolute Mind The divine mind-perfect intelligence
48. liberal arts Academic subjects which are different than technical subjects- math, history, physical science,
philosophy, and literature
