The purpose of this research is to compare the basic concepts of Descartes' and Gadamer's thought and to deduce its implications in education. The research has three questions; What are the basic concepts in the thought of Descartes and Gadamer? What criticism do each of the two thinkers have on other basic concepts? And what implications does Descartes' thought and Gadamer's hermeneutics have for education? To answer these questions, the method of conceptual analysis, comparative criticism and inference was used and it was determined that: method, science, substance, human, idea and metaphysics are the basic concepts of Descartes' thought and method, consciousness, tradition, experience and understanding are concepts. They are fundamental in Gadamer's thought. It was also stated that Descartes' method was based on the principles of objectivism and Gadamer's concepts based on philosophical hermeneutics. Therefore, considering that according to Descartes, the method of mathematics is a method that has all the advantages and benefits of logic, algebra and geometry and at the same time, is free from their disadvantages, this component is with the components of consciousness and experience of Gadamer's thought. It was criticized and since Gadamer emphasizes on the pre-structures of understanding and he believes that the search for understanding without presuppositions is futile, this component of Gadamer was criticized with the components of man and metaphysics of Descartes' thought and finally the component of Gadamer's tradition Descartes' idea was criticized with the essential components. Descartes, the philosopher and mathematician of the 17th century, put the foundation of doubt in everything and discovered a method for scientific reasoning and adjusting skeptical arguments and led to the aging of a philosophical system; Therefore, he has been considered the pioneer of western modernity. On the other hand, the axis of Gadamer's thought is "understanding" and its constituent elements, and he claims a new narrative of understanding; Gadamer considers a set of elements necessary for understanding, the observance of which makes understanding more reflective. He bridges from method to "insight" and prefers philosophical and reflective "insight" to explanatory and precise "method". Also, the findings indicated that science, method, understanding, history, tradition and human are among the educational implications of the thought of the two thinkers and since Cartesian science is based on certainty and Gadamerian science is based on interpretation. By combining these two approaches, it is possible to achieve a definition of the science of education that is both objective and interpretive. It is also possible to use both Cartesian objective methods and interpretive teaching-learning methods, and by combining these two methods, an objective-subjective method can be achieved. Regarding the concept of understanding, Descartes had an objective view on the subject of understanding and Gadamer believes in an interpretive understanding of understanding, so pairing these interpretations of understanding can lead to an interpretive-objective understanding of understanding. It should be mentioned that it is possible to base the methods of education by using scientific rules and find an answer to common unknowns in the field of teaching and learning with the help of philosophical concepts. At the same time, we should express hypotheses about new educational methods and test these hypotheses and use the experiences gained to achieve a comprehensive solution. In general, by combining the concepts of these two thinkers, it is possible to look at the human being both as a basis and as a medium in education and to achieve a unified approach based on "objectivity-interpretation".
Manuscript profile
