The philosophy of education Author:James Simpson Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. ON THE FACULTIES OF MAN, AND THEIR RELATIVE OBJECTS. Man the being to be educated—Knowledge of his nature required—.Training horses and dogs—E... more »ducation, its three essentials—Human body, improvement of—Modes mistaken for faculties—Admitted view of man's nature — The senses — their objects — Faculties of mind disputed — Shakspeare's and Scott's—Postulates to be conceded—Physiological evidence not founded on—Experience—Animal propensities—Self-Love— Desire of estimation—Fear—Inferior feelings what—Law in the mind— Benevolence—Justice—Veneration—Ethics—Christianity—Other moral sentiments—Intellect—The senses—Knowing faculties—Reflecting—Language—Tabular view of faculties—Possessed by all, but in different degrees—Innate and permanent—Combination—Degrees of rank in faculties—Supremacy of Sentiments and Intellect illustrated—Mr Combe's original views. As the being to be educated is man, some knowledge of his nature would seem to be a requisite preliminary to his actual education. Treatises abound in which we are told that man ought to be trained according to his nature, in harmony with his faculties; but, with a few recent exceptions, no educational writer has made an attempt, which deserves the name of systematic, to inquire what that nature is, or what those faculties are. The trainers of horses and dogs proceed much more philosophically; they leave nothing to hazard, but study, with the utmost care, the distinguishing qualities of the animals, and apply the best treatment to those qualities. But any kind of training is held good enough for the human animal, and moreover any kind of trainer who professes to undertake the office. When the principles which ought to regulate education are understood, this grievous error will be corrected. It will then be known, and t...« less