NJSE 2017 NIGERIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION

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TOWARDS THE PHILOSOPHY OF SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
ABIOGU, GODWIN .C.
Department Of Educational Foundations
University Of Nigeria, Nsukka
Abstract
This paper is a socio-philosophical discourse towards the philosophy of sociology of education for sustainable development. It advocated that since man is an animal politicum (a political animal), he has to endeavour to understand his social milieu. The paper highlighted the concept of philosophy and its sine qua non (indispensability) in the act of human thinking and existence. It analyzed the meaning of the terms, “sociology” and “sociology of education”. Argument was raised on the idea of the philosophy of sociology of education. The paper as well re-affirmed the interdependence and inter-connectivity of sociology of education with philosophy. The “how” by which the philosophy of sociology of education can ensure sustainable development was discussed. A way forward was
articulated and conclusion drawn.

Keywords: Socio-philosophical discourse, sustainable development, interdependence, and inter-connectivity

Introduction
Man as a political animal attempts to understand his social milieu by applying high reasoning in his daily activities and endeavours. The need to stay safe and maximize benefits from the environment has made intellectual ability very important to success in life. On the part of Walkin (2013) man has a natural propensity or inclination to question what is strange to him. He appears in the world and disappears from it like any mortal. In this regard, man in himself
remains a philosophical cum sociological a poria (problem to be solved). Since every human activity has its own philosophical angle, man cannot avoid the act of philosophizing.

This confirms the ubiquitousness of philosophy in the sociological aspect of human life. On a more intellectual note, education practice according to Nwafor (2014) has thought of “philosophy” of science, “philosophy” of religion, of
economics, of sociology, of psychology, of history, and of education, to mention but a few. Such use of the term “philosophy” is neither just a ceremonial, nor a cosmetic pedantry. It rather supposed to refer to something quite distinctive and meaningful to vital perspectives of the practical or theoretical activities of human existence. Consequent upon the above, the researcher hereby proposes “philosophy” of sociology of education for sustainable development. Such proposal intends to inquire into what is philosophy? Why philosophy of sociology of education, and how can philosophy of sociology of education serve as a tool for sustainable development?

Philosophy as a Concept Philosophy has been variously defined as a study of those principles which all sciences merely assume as an inquiry into the fundamental realities of the world, and an analysis of the words and concepts
which constitute everyday usage. According to Orona (2012) the long and varied history of philosophical activity which engages problems as diverse as those of science, religion and metaphysics have hampered attempts to device a satisfactory definition. Even though attempts to define philosophy are risky, the origin of the word is clear. In the language of the ancient Greeks such as Pythagoras (C. 600 B.C.), Plato (427 – 347 B.C.), and Aristotle (384 – 322 B. C.), philosophy really meant “the love of wisdom”, the search for knowledge or information on different
spheres of life as a way of solving problems.