Lara Dursun
Since the formation of the world, every living creature has had the same life cycle, beginning from birth to death. When a living being comes into the world, everything can seem scary since it doesn’t know what it sees, smells, feels, or hears. This approach is more valid for animals; however, other creatures such as plants also face significant challenges like existential necessities. Trying to hold on to life by seeking light is very difficult for a “newborn.” Unlike humans, plants do not have thinking, reasoning, or communication skills; the only thing that makes them find the light is their drives. This point of view can be likened to Aristotle’s philosophical perspective, as he believes that all creatures behave with a purpose, such as plants’ aim to find light. In contrast, because humans have reason and consciousness, they do not act purely instinctively; rather, they need education to guide their growth and realize their full potential. There have been many thoughts on education and what it is and what is the purpose of education. This essay will examine the educational philosophies of David Hume, who focused on knowledge based on experience and reasoning; John Dewey, who emphasized learning through experience and active participation; Israel Scheffler, who emphasized the development of critical thinking and conceptual understanding; and Aristotle, who emphasized cultivating virtue according to human nature.
To begin with, to understand Aristotle’s thoughts on education, his general philosophical ideas should first be addressed. “Neither by nature, then, nor contrary to nature do the virtues arise in us; rather we are adapted by nature to receive them, and are made perfect by habit.”[1] Virtue is not born with knowledge but is acquired through habit. For example, a person may not be brave at first, but when faced with dangerous situations and learns how to act rightly through trial, they gain confidence and courage. His idea of education is similar. According to him, education is the process of developing one’s innate potential through habits and experience to become virtuous. “Hence we ought to have been brought up in a particular way from our very youth, as Plato says, so as both to delight in and to be pained by the things that we ought; this is the right education.”[2] In other words the purpose of education is to ensure that the individual develops his innate potential through correct habits and becomes a virtuous person. He supports that education should begin from an early age to shape a child’s character and moral virtue. A child should learn to love the right thing through proper education. He highlights that education is not only about transferring knowledge but also about creating a child’s right habits and virtuous character.
Moreover, Dewey argued that knowledge and thought are used not to represent reality, but to help humans successfully interact with their environment.[3] Learning is not a passive process. For instance, when a child solves a math problem, they do not just memorize the correct answer; they use trial and error. A child tries different approaches and interacts with the environment to find a solution. Dewey[4] emphasizes that “there is an intimate and necessary relation between the processes of actual experience and education.” He says that learning happens best when students are involved in real-life experiences. Education is not just about memorizing facts from books but learning by doing, observing, and reflecting on their own experiences. Experience and learning are interconnected and dependent on each other. For example, while learning about planets, children can observe them with binoculars and continue their examination over subsequent days. As a result of this experiment, they will observe and compare the planets’ positions. By considering their observations, their studies gain meaning. This approach is what John Dewey supports in education. Dewey believes that “a productive, naturalistic approach to the theory of knowledge must begin with a consideration of the development of knowledge as an adaptive human response to environing conditions aimed at an active restructuring of these conditions.”[5] Education is the process of learning through experience by interacting with one’s environment, while improving both oneself and one’s environment.
Furthermore, according to David Hume, humans shape their behaviors not only according to their thoughts but also in relation to other people. “Of course, we recall that Hume defines man as ‘a sociable no less than a reasonable being.’”[6]As he says, humans are social and rational, not merely isolated thinkers.[7] If a student reads a book alone, this is their rational side; when they take part in a group project, their learning speed increases thanks to discussions with others, showing their social side. Human beings are creatures that both think with their minds and gain meaning within society. According to Hume, the purpose of school is to give more opportunities to discover what students enjoy rather than merely providing a diploma. Hume argues that education is a process that allows individuals to pursue their interests freely and develop their minds through reading and experience.[8] “There is nothing to be learnt from a professor, which is not to be met with in books.” What he actually describes here is that education should not be about “memorizing information” but internalizing the information through one’s own research and reading.[9] A person learning a language purely out of interest aligns with Hume’s idea that “education is a free process of mental development.”[10]
Education is a lifelong process. Learning begins from the moment a child is born; the first smells, sounds, and feelings begin to teach emotions to the newborn. Even the first touch from the mother is important for teaching trust.[11] Later, as the child grows, education begins at home. The child’s character is shaped by parents, making the education of virtuous behaviors crucial. In line with Aristotle’s idea that virtue is not born with knowledge but is acquired through habit[12], moral education should focus on developing good behaviors. Later, when the child starts school, their long educational journey begins. In my opinion, for the best education, children should learn through experience. The purpose of education should be to create an environment that allows children to explore through experimentation. As Dewey advocated, the best education is one in which individuals learn through their own experiences.[13] I can relate to my own life because knowledge gained through experience is more lasting, as I recently experienced in the physics lab during experiments. Similarly, as David Hume stated, humans develop not only through rational thought but also through social interactions.[14] I strongly agree with this idea. The aim of education should also be to let children interact and find themselves. When I study with friends, learning becomes easier and more permanent. The same applies to children working in groups; understanding and discussing together fosters the best education.
In conclusion, education begins at birth and continues throughout life. From the first moments, humans start learning from every smell, sound, and feeling. Even the first touch with the mother is crucial for teaching trust.[15] This demonstrates that learning is not only from books but also from early life experiences. Simply learning scientific knowledge is not enough; information must be integrated with experience. According to Aristotle, “Virtue is not born with knowledge but is acquired through habit.”[16]Children need to develop good habits from an early age to become virtuous. Education should start young to shape character and moral understanding, as Aristotle emphasizes we should be “brought up in a particular way from our very youth.”[17]John Dewey also emphasizes that learning occurs best through experience. “There is an intimate and necessary relation between the processes of actual experience and education.”[18] In my opinion, for optimal education, children should learn through experience. I can relate this to my own life because experiential knowledge is more lasting, as I recently experienced in the physics lab. Dewey reminds us that education is not just memorizing facts; it involves doing, observing, and reflecting on experiences. David Hume adds that humans are both social and rational beings. “Man is a sociable no less than a reasonable being.”[19] Learning is not just a personal experience, it is an experience shared with others. When I study with friends, I learn more effectively and retain information better. Hume argues that education should allow students to freely explore interests and develop their minds through reading and experience.[20]As a result, education supports both cognitive and social development. Considering all these perspectives, the best education combines moral, experiential, and social learning. If education can achieve wholeness by enabling a child to experience, be social, and become virtuous, it will be most beneficial for their development.
[1] Aristotle, The Nicomachean Ethics, trans. D. Ross and L. Brown (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004), 24.
[2] Aristotle, 26.
[3] Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, “John Dewey (1859–1952),” accessed October 26, 2025, https://iep.utm.edu/john-dewey/.
[4] John Dewey, Experience and Education (New York: Macmillan, 1963), 20.
[5] Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, “John Dewey,” accessed October 28, 2025, https://iep.utm.edu/john-dewey/.
[6] David Hume, as cited in L. F. Snow, “The Education of David Hume,” The Sewanee Review 10, no. 2 (1902): 217, https://www.jstor.org/stable/27530486.
[7] Hume, as cited in Snow, 1902, 209.
[8] Ibid.
[9] [9] Ibid., 210.
[10] [10] Ibid., 209.
[11] E. R. Moore, G. C. Anderson, N. Bergman, and T. Dowswell, “Early Skin-to-Skin Contact for Mothers and Their Healthy Newborn Infants,” Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2012, no. 5 (2012): CD003519, https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD003519.pub3.
[12] Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book II, 1103a
[13] Dewey, Experience and Education, 1963.
[14] David Hume, A Treatise of Human Nature (1739).
[15] E. R. Moore, G. C. Anderson, N. Bergman, and T. Dowswell, “Early Skin-to-Skin Contact for Mothers and Their Healthy Newborn Infants,” Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2012, no. 5 (2012): CD003519, https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD003519.pub3.
[16] Aristotle, The Nicomachean Ethics, 24.
[17] Aristotle, The Nicomachean Ethics, 24.
[18] Dewey, Experience and Education, 20.
[19] Hume, as cited in Snow, 1902, 217.
[20] Hume, as cited in Snow, 1902, 209.
Bibliography (Chicago Style):
Nietzsche, F. (1997). Genealogy of Morals. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Aristotle. The Nicomachean Ethics. Translated by D. Ross and L. Brown. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.
Dewey, John. Experience and Education. The Kappa Delta Pi Lecture Series. New York: Macmillan, 1963.
Hume, David. A Treatise of Human Nature. 1739.
Moore, E. R., G. C. Anderson, N. Bergman, and T. Dowswell. “Early Skin-to-Skin Contact for Mothers and Their Healthy Newborn Infants.” Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2012, no. 5 (2012): CD003519. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD003519.pub3.
Snow, L. F. “The Education of David Hume.” The Sewanee Review 10, no. 2 (1902): 207–222. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27530486.
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. “John Dewey (1859–1952).” Accessed October 26, 2025. https://iep.utm.edu/john-dewey/.
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