The Meaning and Limit of Justifying School Subjects by Metaphysical Reality

Formal discipline theory can be understood as a justification based on means-ends relation, as it regards school subjects as means to development of general abilities. While the formal discipline theory emphasizes usefulness of general abilities, some metaphysical discussions suggest that school subjects are paths to ‘metaphysical reality’ which transcends everyday life. These discussions regard metaphysical reality as a goal which is established before educational activities, and justify school subjects as means to reach that reality. In this sense, these discussions belong to justification based on means-ends relation, and thus, they share the same disadvantages with the formal discipline theory.