Introduction

Education should adjust man to the truth which is eternal, while the contemporary
world is not. “Education implies teaching. Teaching implies knowledge. Knowledge is
truth. The truth everywhere is the same. Hence, education should be everywhere the
same.” Perennialists believe that one should teach the things that one deems to be of
everlasting importance to all people everywhere (Adler, 2015)
Learning Outcomes
At the end of the discussion, the learners were able to:
a. Define Perennialism as an educational philosophy;
b. Recognize perennialist authors.
c. Determine the aims of perennialism
Activity
Participants will engage in the activity by answering “yes” or “no”.
1. Practicing perennialism teaching? Yes or No?

Teacher: Read Romeo and Juliet

Teacher: Who were the main characters?

Teacher: What happened in the story?

2. Perennialism… Yes or No?

Applies Classic ideas to modern culture
3. Perennialism… Yes or No?
Observation and Experimentation
4. Perennialism… Yes or No?
Teacher is the spectator of the learner’s development
5. Perennialism… Yes or No?
Individuals achieve their full potential by developing their reasoning
abilities to the extent possible.

Learning Content
Perennialism philosophy of education is a very conservative and inflexible
philosophy of education. Students are taught to reason through structured lessons and
drills. Even the national standards that are coming into place emphasize the ideas of
Perennialism. As now days we are stressing reading, writing and arithmetic in education
but the decline of the music and art. Teaching the students for job and the knowledge is
what we need today so Perennialism philosophy of education is what helps in educators
is to equip them with “universal knowledge Perennialists philosophers, despite a variety
of minute distinctions, generally feel that they are advocates of the True Philosophy and
with it the True Philosophy of Education. They are often unwilling to concede the
possible validity of different interpretations of the same data. Adler, in his article aptly
titled, “In Defense of The Philosophy of Education,” has this to say about the possible
validity of any other system of philosophical inquiry: Education is a preparation for life,
not an imitation of life; or as the progressive insist it is not „life itself.‟ Education should
be basically the same for all men. The term Perennialism is used when referring to this
point of view in education, while in the more general philosophical area it is referred to
as Neo-Thomism or Neo-Scholasticism. Perennialism is the preferred educational term
because of the insistence of philosophers associated with the position that there are
certain everlasting values to which we must return and which much be brought to the
attention of all youth in the schools.

HISTORICAL RETROSPECT OF PERENNIALISM

1. Pre-Christian Origin
Aristotle Perennialism is not rooted in any particular time or place. Perennialism
is open to the notion that universal spiritual forms Aristotle contributed to the basis
realist position with his conception of form and matter. Form, it will be recalled was
viewed as being at the apex of the pyramid or hierarchy while matter was at its base.
Matter existed as pure potentiality. It acquired meaning only as from was imposed on it.
It was form that was seen as the principle of actuality. All things were composed of form
and matter. Man, for example, had a physical being composed of matter and mind
composed of form. From was equated with pure rationality while mater was equated
with pure materiality.

2. Christianity
 The first thousand years one of the great voices during these first thousand years
of Christendom was the voice of St. Augustine. Since the works of Aristotle were lost for
the first thousand year of Christianity, the great influence on the early medieval thinkers
was Plato. Plato, indirectly, and Augustine, directly, set much of the pattern of Christian
theology until the time of St. Thomas Aquinas. For Augustine, reason was subservient
to religious dogma and the material and practical aspect of life were to play only a minor
role as compared with the spiritual aspects. First came faith and then came reason.

3. The Thirteenth Century: St. Thomas Aquinas

St. Thomas Aquinas, the Angelic took the work as Aristotle and after accepting
his form and matter thesis, added to it the concept of existence. He reconciled the
Christian principles of his faith with the realism of Aristotle by insisting that beyond
essence (the combination of form and matter) lay existence. Aristotle, according to St.
Thomas, was right in what he said, but had failed to raise the question of the existence
of essence. Thus, for Aquinas, essence becomes the principle of potentiality while
existence becomes the principle of actuality. Pure Existence or Pure Actuality is, of
course, God. We can know Pure Existence only through revelation although we can
know about it through reason. In this manner Aquinas postulated a realistic world in
which man must make his way while preparing for life in the hereafter. While reason is
able to deal with the world of nature, revelation deals with the world beyond nature.

4. Contemporary Thinkers: Maritain and Adler

a. Jacques Maritain is usually considered the most prominent contemporary
spokesman of the Perennialists position. As an educator he has written and
taught both in his own country and in the United States. Maritain’s position is
typical of the Neo-Thomists, with a strong reliance on reason and faith. His
writings often deal with education and he has been particularly concerned with
reconciling the democratic conception of education and the Perennialists point of
view.
b. Mortimer Adler. Although a non-Catholic, Adler has been welcomed into the
perennialist camp with open arms because of his strong support of the
 philosophical position they espouse. Adler goes on to out that the education of
man is not complete without religious education and that there is a whole realm
of knowledge with which this deal which is not attainable through rational means.
PERENNIALISM IN EDUCATION

The most conservative, traditional, or inflexible of the five philosophies is

perennialism, a philosophy drawing heavily from classical definitions of education.
Perennialists believe that education, like human nature, is a constant. Because the
distinguishing characteristic of humans is the ability to reason, education should focus
on developing rationality. Education, for the perennialist, is a preparation for life, and
students should be taught the world’s permanencies through structured study.

EDUCATIONAL AIMS
Because human beings are essentially the same, education should be essentially
the same for everyone. The function of a citizen may vary from society to society, but
the function of man, as a man, is the same in every age and in every society since it
results from his nature as a man. “The aim of an educational system … is to improve
man as man. For Perennialists, the aim of education is to ensure that students acquire
understandings about the great ideas of Western civilization. These ideas have the
potential for solving problems in any era. The focus is to teach ideas that are
everlasting, to seek enduring truths which are constant, not changing, as the natural
and human worlds at their most essential level, do not change. A Perennialist views
nature, human nature, and the underlying principles of existence as constant. The
principles of knowledge are enduring. Truth never changes. Education should be for the
„long-haul‟ not for the immediate, contemporary fad. It is not the job of the school to
meddle in contemporary problems, social reform, and political action. It is the job of the
school to provide an education on the basis of which education, students later after
graduation can rationally initiate the efforts for social reform, change, and political
action.

THE SCHOOL
 The ecclesiastical perennialists see the school as concerned with the secular in
education and particularly the training of the intellect. But in addition to this they see a
second aim carefully interwoven through the fabric of education. They view education
as a moral and religious undertaking. The ecclesiastical perennialists believe that the
school cannot separate itself from the study of those things that have come to man
through faith and revelation. Thus, the Roman Catholic Church in America has
continued to maintain a separate school system so that it might permeates its „secular‟
teachings with its moral and religious convictions. If we were to sum up the whole
educational aim of the ecclesiastical perennialists in one sentence it would be,
“Catholic,” and it is at this that the Catholic parochial schools from kindergarten through
graduate school aim. They believe that there is a common core of knowledge that
needs to be transmitted to students in a systematic, disciplined way. The emphasis in
this conservative perspective is on intellectual and moral standards that schools should
teach. The core of the curriculum is essential knowledge and skills and academic rigor.
Schooling should be practical, preparing students to become valuable members of
society. It should focus on facts-the objective reality out there–and “the basics,” training
students to read, write, speak, and compute clearly and logically. Schools should not try
to set or influence policies

THE STUDENT
The student is seen as a rational being with tendencies toward Truth and
knowledge. But the learner also has a spiritual side. It is the responsibility of the school
to help him develop both. The rational power of the learner tends to be viewed from a
position of faculty psychology. Thus, the faculty of reason is trained through the formal
discipline of those subjects with the most logical organization. This would include
subjects such as mathematic and logic. The faculty of memory is trained by having
students memorize. Any foreign language which requires extensive memorization both
of forms and content would seem to be desirable.

DISCIPLINE
 Because man’s highest characteristic- the one differentiating him from the lower
life forms- is his reason, he must use it to direct his life and control his instincts. Men are
free, not determined. They are responsible for their actions. We cannot excuse a child’s
actions because of his environment or personal problems. Because men are rational,
they must live rationally. Hence, children must be held to the standards of reason, and
this is one function of education. Students should be taught hard work, respect for
authority, and discipline. Teachers are to help students keep their non-productive
instincts in check, such as aggression or mindlessness. Discipline in the classroom is
essential to learning. A noisy classroom is not a desirable place for learning to take
place. Order is vital. Students cannot always think of the future. Consequently, teachers
and parents must help students overcome their desire for immediate ends and direct
them to future objectives. Self-discipline is fine, but most of the times it is insufficient.
Adults therefore must give direction. The classroom is teacher-centered. The teacher as
a professional is far more likely to know what her students will need to know in the
future than do they. She/he is responsible for the education and intellectual growth of
his/her students. Education requires the mastery of content, of subject matter.

THE TEACHER
Perennialists disapprove of teachers requiring students to absorb massive
amounts of disconnected information. They recommend that schools spend more time
teaching about concepts and explaining they are meaningful to students. The teacher,
to the perennialist, is a mental disciplinarian with highly developed logical skills, capable
of teaching logical thinking and the use of reason to his students. The teacher must
have the ability to work with the natural tendencies of the students toward reason. He
must serve as a benevolent taskmaster, exercising the minds of the students in order to
help them develop their rational faculties. Thus, besides having been trained in logic,
the teacher must have the proper spiritual orientation. Nor is this all. Since the teacher
is to train the students in reason, memory and will power, he must certainly have these
three qualities if he is to help the student on the road to knowledge and the
development of his faculties.
Education requires hard work and effort. If the student is interested in the subject, well
and good, but if not, s/he still must be required to do the tasks. After all, the student
does not know what s/he will need in the future. Motivation is fine, and if the teacher can
provide it, well and good, but if not, the student must work at the task regardless
Perennialists believe that reading is to be supplemented with mutual investigations
(between the teacher and the student) and minimally-directed discussions through the
Socratic method in order to develop a historically oriented understanding of concepts.
They argue that accurate, independent reasoning distinguishes the developed or
educated mind and they thus stress the development of this faculty. A skilled teacher
would keep discussions on topic and correct errors in reasoning, but it would be the
class, not the teacher, who would reach the conclusions. While not directing or leading
the class to a conclusion, the teacher may work to accurately formulate problems within
the scope of the texts being studied, Perennialism, typically considered being teacher-
centered. However, since the teachers associated with perennialism are in a sense the
authors of the Western masterpieces themselves, these teachers may be open to
student criticism through the associated Socratic Method, which, if carried out as true
dialogue, is a balance between students, including the teacher promoting the
discussion.

IMPORTANCE OF BOOKS IN EDUCATION

Perennialists believe that the focus of education should be the ideas that have lasted
over centuries. They believe the ideas are as relevant and meaningful today as when
they were written. They recommend that students learn from reading and analyzing the
works by history’s finest thinkers and writers. A number of perennialists, notably Robert
Maynard Hutchins, Mortimer Adler,, have supported the idea of a university level
curriculum based on the great books. These are the books that are considered great
because they have withstood the test of time, it is argued that if they have survived for
any length of time, it is because they are applicable through time, and are therefore
“truer” than books which have had only as short-term appeal. This is totally in line with
the traditional purposes of the university. One of which, as seen by McGucken is, “an
interpreter and guardian of values,” and the conservation of knowledge. Maritain too
feels that the best way to educate is through the reading of great books.
CURRICULUM
As with the essentialists, perennialists are educationally conservative in the
requirement of a curriculum focused upon fundamental subject areas, but stress that the
overall aim should be exposure to history’s finest thinkers as models for discovery. The
student should be taught such basic subjects as English, languages, history,
mathematics, natural science, philosophy, and fine arts. Adler states: “The three R‟s,
which always signified the formal disciplines, are the essence of liberal or general
education.” The perennialist curriculum is universal and is based on their view that all
human beings possess the same essential nature. Perennialists think it is important that
individuals think deeply, analytically, flexibly, and imaginatively. They emphasize that
students should not be taught information that may soon be outdated or found to be
incorrect The child should be taught certain basic subjects that will acquaint him/her
with the world’s permanencies: English, languages, history, mathematics, natural
sciences, the fine arts, and philosophy. The child should learn reading and writing, how
to speak and how to listen. He is a social being and lives in a community of men. Thus
he must use his reason- his powers of rationality- to communicate with other men. The
three Rs are important.
METHOD OF TEACHING
A particular strategy with modern perennialists is to teach scientific reasoning,
not facts. They may illustrate the reasoning with original accounts of famous
experiments. This gives the students a human side to the science, and shows the
reasoning in action. Most importantly, it shows the uncertainty and false steps of
traditional real science. Because the nature of man is constant - because men as men
are everywhere the same - education should be basically the same for all men. This
means that children are rational beings, not plastic personalities to be molded to the
teacher’s whim. Problem-solving is thus a waste of time on the part of pupil. They use
tried and true teaching methods and techniques that are believed to be most beneficial
to disciplining students‟ minds the method of teaching for the perennialist is rooted in
mental discipline and in the training of the intellect through the discipline inherent in the
subject matter. Since the child has a natural tendency to learn, the basis of the
perennialist method is cooperation with the natural tendency of the student toward
reason. The perennialist methodology relies heavily upon the use of lectures to
Englishmen the student while he follows his natural curiosity under the moral authority
of the teacher. Other techniques considered important by the perennialists are
memorization of materials, and for the ecclesiastical perennialists, recitation of the
Catechism. Education should adjust man to the truth which is eternal, while the
contemporary world is not. “Education implies teaching. Teaching implies knowledge.
Knowledge is truth. The truth everywhere is the same. Hence, education should be
everywhere the same.” Perennialists believe that one should teach the things that one
deems to be of everlasting importance to all people everywhere. In a simpler society
there may be no danger is such a regressive social policy, but in an age of automation,
over-production, over-abundance for some and starvation for others, in an age of atomic
and hydrogen over-kill, and an age of red buttons that could destroy all human life
leaving this planet nothing more than a charred ember in the universe, we cannot risk
looking only into the past to find solution to problems of the present and the future.
PERENNIALISM
“The purpose of the university is nothing less than to procure a moral,
intellectual, and spiritual revolution throughout the world” – Robert Hutchins
Perennialism is a teacher-centered educational philosophy that focuses on
everlasting ideas and universal truths. To clarify, Perennialism suggests that the focus
of education should be the ideas that have lasted for centuries believing the ideas are
as relevant and meaningful today as when they were written.  This
educational philosophy aims to prepare students for life by developing their intellectual
and moral qualities through emphasizing knowledge and the meaning of knowledge,
servings to enhance student’s critical thinking skills in their search for individual
freedoms, human rights and responsibilities through nature.
Educational Leaders
Mortimer Adler
Jacques Maritain
Robert Hutchins
Perennialism in Education
The aim of Perennialism in Education is to develop power of thought, internalize truths
that are universal and constant and to ensure that students acquire understanding
about the great ideas of Western civilization. This is the most conservative, traditional,
and flexible philosophy. Perennialism stimulate students in how to think critically and
thoughtfully; cultivating the rational mind.
Role of Teacher – perennialism is a teacher- centered philosophy, in which the
teacher is less concerned with student interest and more concerned with transferring
knowledge from older generations to younger generations. The teacher will focus on the
importance of reading and will often use the underlying reading lessons to make a moral
point. Teachers use history, religion, literature, and the laws of science to reinforce
universal ideas that have the potential to solve any problem in any era.
Curriculum and Methods – Perennialism is the classroom is focused on the curriculum
and nature need. Curriculum will focus on attaining cultural literacy, stressing students’
growth in enduring disciplines. They stress learning through reading and analyzing the
works by history’s finest thinkers and writers. Perennialists believe that reading is to be
supplemented with mutual investigations with teacher and minimally directed
discussions through the Socratic Method in order to develop historically oriented
understanding of concepts. Less emphasis on vocational and technical education and
more on the humanities.
https://graduatefoundationsmoduleela.wordpress.com/perennialism/

For Perennialists, the aim of education is to ensure that students acquire

understandings about the great ideas of Western civilization. These ideas have the
potential for solving problems in any era. The focus is to teach ideas that are
everlasting, to seek enduring truths which are constant, not changing, as the natural
and human worlds at their most essential level, do not change. Teaching these
unchanging principles is critical. Humans are rational beings, and their minds need to be
developed. Thus, cultivation of the intellect is the highest priority in a worthwhile
education. The demanding curriculum focuses on attaining cultural literacy, stressing
students' growth in enduring disciplines. The loftiest accomplishments of humankind are
emphasized– the great works of literature and art, the laws or principles of science.
Advocates of this educational philosophy are Robert Maynard Hutchins who developed
a Great Books program in 1963 and Mortimer Adler, who further developed this
curriculum based on 100 great books of western civilization.
1999 LeoNora M. Cohen, OSU - School of Education
https://oregonstate.edu/instruct/ed416/PP3.html

Perennialism values knowledge that transcends time. This is a subject-centered

philosophy. The goal of a perennialist educator is to teach students to think rationally
and develop minds that can think critically. A perennialist classroom aims to be a closely
organized and well-disciplined environment, which develops in students a lifelong quest
for the truth. Perennialists believe that education should epitomize a prepared effort to
make these ideas available to students and to guide their thought processes toward the
understanding and appreciation of the great works; works of literature written by
history’s finest thinkers that transcend time and never become outdated. Perennialists
are primarily concerned with the importance of mastery of the content and development
of reasoning skills. The adage “the more things change, the more they stay the same”
summarizes the perennialists’ perspective on education. In this philosophy skills are
developed in a sequential manner. Here, the teachers are the main actors on the stage.

Teaching Academy (2013). Four Major Educational Philosophies

https://cer.jhu.edu/files_ta/4_Major_Educational_Philosophies.pdf

Evaluation
Teachers reflect on the year and often redesign perfect their teaching strategies
and plans. They get back to the basics of what they believe is the best way to inspire
learning in their students. In other words, they revisit and refine their philosophy of
education. Write a short essay about the goal of a perennialist education.
References
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Cohen, M. L. (1999). Philosophy of Education. In Module One: History and Philosophy

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Teaching Academy (2013). Four Major Educational Philosophies

https://cer.jhu.edu/files_ta/4_Major_Educational_Philosophies.pdf