Psychology and Arm Chair Philosophy
1. How do you explain that Dr. Montessori’s ideas are not mere arm chair philosophy?
Ans: Arm chair philosophy refers to a sort of casual and untrained method. It is a philosophy of the person who has not necessarily had any formal education to back his own philosophy. Arm chair philosophy is one’s own philosophy, which is what we have come to know through our own experiences and background, be it social, cultural or educational. Arm chair philosophers do nothing to prove their statement. They always try to showcase themselves as intellectually superior to others by continuously arguing about any subject they see in the media, conversations, etc. by quoting themselves as experts on the subject. We can easily find people with similar traits in our neighbourhood – our family members, friends, etc. They are always ready with their expert opinion on each and every topic whether it is a personal issue or public issue. Topics can be anything like financial budget, subject’s related to scientific research, politics, sports, etc. They make judgements where careful analysis is required.
Dr. Maria Montessori has herself conducted several experiments to understand the behaviour of a child. During her various interactions with children across various parts of the globe, she analysed their behaviour under different circumstances. On the basis of these careful experiments, she came up with her findings which are now known as the Montessori Method. This method is based on her own experiences / interactions with children. Dr. Maria Montessori started the first House of Children with no particular educational motive. She used to keenly observe the activities performed by the child in a particular situation, in a particular environment and then she came out with hitherto unknown aspects about the child. She studied the conditions under which children performed the actions and conducted similar experiments across the world. Her experiments revealed unexpected aspects about the
Ans: Arm chair philosophy refers to a sort of casual and untrained method. It is a philosophy of the person who has not necessarily had any formal education to back his own philosophy. Arm chair philosophy is one’s own philosophy, which is what we have come to know through our own experiences and background, be it social, cultural or educational. Arm chair philosophers do nothing to prove their statement. They always try to showcase themselves as intellectually superior to others by continuously arguing about any subject they see in the media, conversations, etc. by quoting themselves as experts on the subject. We can easily find people with similar traits in our neighbourhood – our family members, friends, etc. They are always ready with their expert opinion on each and every topic whether it is a personal issue or public issue. Topics can be anything like financial budget, subject’s related to scientific research, politics, sports, etc. They make judgements where careful analysis is required.
Dr. Maria Montessori has herself conducted several experiments to understand the behaviour of a child. During her various interactions with children across various parts of the globe, she analysed their behaviour under different circumstances. On the basis of these careful experiments, she came up with her findings which are now known as the Montessori Method. This method is based on her own experiences / interactions with children. Dr. Maria Montessori started the first House of Children with no particular educational motive. She used to keenly observe the activities performed by the child in a particular situation, in a particular environment and then she came out with hitherto unknown aspects about the child. She studied the conditions under which children performed the actions and conducted similar experiments across the world. Her experiments revealed unexpected aspects about the