Wilhelm Von Humboldt: A Critical Review on His Philosophy of Language, Theory And Practice of Education

Abstract

Wilhelm Von Humboldt was among those philosophers who used language as a tool to study the human mind and interpret human cultural differences. Humboldt equated language and thought as inseparable. His model of language can be summarized as follows: the character and structure of a language expresses the inner life and knowledge of its speakers, and that language must differ from one another in the same way and to the same degree as those who use them. Humboldt's approach to Allgemeine Bildung or well-rounded education was based on his own experience and lifelong learning process. The study of Humboldt’s work ‘helps to clarify the central problems and questions of recent educational theory as matters concerning all of us, and also help to resolve issues which requirefurther theoretical and practical analysis’ (Benner,1990)