Posts Tagged ‘Philosophy’
Can We Think About Something We Cannot Imagine?
The very last line of this excellent clip of Carl Sagan explaining the 4th dimension got me thinking:
Can we think about something we cannot imagine? The more direct version of this question is, can we think about something we cannot directly imagine. Since we are almost certainly, in Sagan’s example of the cube, imagining a 4th dimensional object without picturing it. We are imagining (and even creating) its shadow, and the rules by which it exists.
But suppose there was a thing we couldn’t in any way gain a mental hold on. Could we be said to be thinking about it? In the act of thinking about it, do we in some sense imagine it, even if only in a representational way? There’s more than a faint aroma of Anselm in this line of thought.
Philosophical Horizons Day Two
Day two of the Philosophical Horizons conference on Philosophy for Children (Keeping the Child in Mind) was every bit as wondrous as the first.
The day began with Jana Mohr Lone of the Northwest Center for Philosophy for Children presenting on moral philosophy. We were split into groups and asked to contemplate the notion of morality, indifference, risk, action and completing moral obligations in the context of the holocaust. The resulting discussion was made all the more illuminating by the revelation that much of our discussion and conclusions could be found when this discussion occured in schools!
David Kennedy of Montclair University spoke next. While his discussion ranged over a number of important topics, what I see underlined in my notes is his discussion of how very central philosophy is to democratic education. If we are at all serious about producing citizens, then forming communities of philosophical inquiry – which is an innately democratic activity – is essential. How can we produce citizens if our educational system only allows them to practice following orders? Among his other insights, I really enjoyed his use of all statements to provoke counter examples from his younger students. Its a charmingly effective tactic and one I will certainly have to incorporate into our own approach.
We had a nice, long lunch. A number of curious side conversations occured.
Then we were onto our next speaker: Thomas Wartenberg of Mount Holyoke. He talked about his program, in which education and philosophy undergraduates go into elementary schools to teach philosophy using children’s literature. From Tom’s talk I got a real sense of how very important philosophy is to developing one’s ability to absorb information critically. The value of this cannot be overstated, as it has applications in everything from digesting the news to resisting peer pressure. Philosophy really encourages children to talk to each other on a deeper level. Perhaps one of the most exciting aspects of this talk was the news that his former undergraduates were going on to continue working towards improving education. The transformative nature of doing philosophy with children was inspiring his college students in ways that helped guide them well after graduation.
Michael Burroughs of UMemphis followed Professor Wartenberg with a discussion of his own work in Memphis. Michael really drove home how deeply connected philosophy for children is to the notion of social justice, and how immediate and empowering it can be. He also delved into the history of philosophy in order to issue an energetic call for the dignity, agency and intelligence of the child. It is vital to remember that in the work of spreading philosophy for children, we are affirming the rights of children.
Finally Rafael Rondon of Sacred Heart Catholic School spoke. He began with a discussion of the benefits of philosophy for the moral development of children. He then launched an unrepenting foray into the poisonous effects of poverty’s stressors on the cognitive development of children. He cited Martha Farah of the University of Pennsylvania’s work, and how the issue of poverty was therefore an issue of bioethics. It simply was not possible to come away from the talk without the knowledge that those of us working towards disparate parts of education reform need to band together to passionately and effectively advocate for the rights of the child. We can do so much better by our children, and we have every obligation to try our hardest to achieve that progress.
Philosophy is a tool that can help teachers connect with students on a much deeper and effective level than traditional instruction. But we must, must include philosophy within the larger context of our current educational system with all its flaws, quirks, and within the efforts to reform it. Coming away from this conference I feel confident in what we can accomplish. I had the great fortune of meeting lovely, passionate and intelligent people across a range of backgrounds and generations, all dedicated to achieving real change in how we teach our children. I cannot wait to see where we go from here.
Booker T Washington Philosophy Blog
Michael Dean Burroughs (a PHD candidate at UMemphis) has a blog for the philosophy class he teaches at Booker T Washington High School in Memphis, TN. What makes it especially interesting, aside from his engaging style of writing and the philosophical problems themselves, is the responses in the comment sections from his students. He invites visitors to join in!
Can happiness and pleasure be the same thing, or are they fundamentally different? Is justice fairness, the existence of consequences, or a state of being? Can there be a universal concept of a good life, or will it differ from person to person in a way that defies a single description?
Discuss the distinction between happiness and pleasure, the definition of justice, or what constitutes the good life and other topics with high school students and other guests over at Blog Philos.
Philosophical Horizons Day One
Day one of the Philosophical Horizons conference on Philosophy for Children (Keeping the Child in Mind) has been a blast! We started off the day with an excellent breakfast at Brother Juniper’s and a brainstorming session. We discussed the nature and impact of philosophy for children, and how to promote it more effectively. We then observed a discussion of the nature of color with a group of local kindergarten students (using the wonderful book The Great Blueness and Other Predicaments by Arnold Lobel). We then broke for lunch, returning for the introduction to the conference and Gareth Matthew‘s stirring keynote address (Gary is on the advisory board of Education to Empower).
He made a number of rather key observations and points. In particular that children enjoy philosophy because, in their words, “the teacher has to listen to what we say” (which echoes my experiences in DC). The other being that adults benefit. Philosophical education is not a one way street, and no where else is the idea that we can learn from children so clear and practical as it is in the study of philosophy. He also emphasized the importance of how we relate to children. When you introduce philosophical discussion into your relationship with children, be they younger family members or students, it changes and deepens that relationship in a wonderful way.
The night ended with a reception lasting well into the night, and filled with excited conversations about the nature and purpose of philosophy, education, and a shared commitment to progress.
Philosophy for Kids: Interviews With Children and Teachers
I had the wonderful opportunity to work with and then interview teachers and students in California and Washington DC. Here are some highlights from those interviews. I invite you to imagine your students, your own children or kids in your community having the opportunity to study philosophy. See their potential, and imagine what they can do.
Memphis: Keeping the Child in Mind
From September 10th – the 13th I’m heading to Memphis, TN for a conference on Philosophy for Children put on by the University’s Philosophical Horizons program:
Sponsored by the Department of Philosophy and made possible through support from the Tennessee Board of Regents, the Squire Family Foundation, and the Marcus Orr Center for the Humanities, Keeping the Child in Mind: A Conference on the Philosophy of Children will be held on September 11-12, 2009. Gareth Matthews, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Massachusetts and author of Philosophy and the Young Child (1980), Dialogues with Children (1984), and The Philosophy of Childhood (1994), will be the keynote speaker. Local teachers and administrators, as well as the general public, are invited to attend. Further information about the conference is available here.
If you can make it out, it should be an excellent time. I’ll be hanging around an additional day to make connections and invite participants to discuss the strategy of a nationwide philosophy for children program.
Summer 09 – Details and Directions
The work of cultivating courageous and effective citizens takes a step forward right now with your help.
I’d like to take a bit to talk about our organization and our goals for this summer:
Why Do You Like This Class?
Lindsay: “It’s interesting!”
Me: “What makes it interesting?”
Lindsay: “We’re speaking our minds! We’re speaking our minds!”
Me: “You’re speaking your minds?”
Lindsay: “Yes, and no other class let us speak. They say just shut up!”
Courtney: “Because we’ve never had a class like this before.”
I was a few weeks into a pilot philosophy program, and it was rough going. The class was extremely enthusiastic to the point of it becoming problematic. Everyone wanted to be the one talking, so it was tough finding space for the kids to fully express their thoughts. Interruptions kept thoughts and conversations from developing organically. I had racked my brains leading up to the class for ideas on how to get everyone invested. I came up with a pair of games based on improv techniques, only to see them both fail. We had just moved the class across the room (to avoid the newly discovered booger that plagued our former location). I announced that anyone not seated and ready in 5 seconds would have to leave philosophy and spend the rest of the period with the larger group. The students rushed over! At that point I asked the kids about the hurry. Why was this class so valuable to them? (I’d later find out from the teacher that they looked forward to philosophy with great excitement).
Lindsay: “We’re speaking our minds! We’re speaking our minds!”
Me: “You’re speaking your minds?”
Lindsay: “Yes, and no other class let us speak. They say just shut up!”
As adults we can easily forget the significance of being listened to when it matters.
The solution to my problem wasn’t to come up with games or gimmicks (like pass the talking ball). It was to discuss the purpose of good behavior with the children, and invite them to make their own informed choice. Putting class behavior to a vote might not work with every group of children (or even be needed). But what stands out is the nature of the approach. Respecting children enough to use the tools provided by philosophical inquiry to explore behavior and its impact on the class. Its all well and good to try and get a rowdy group of kids to settle down enough to focus and hear each other’s points. But the more they understand the value of listening to each other (and giving themselves the space to be really heard), the more they will make an effort on their own to behave better. I’ve already been seeing this one class out from this accidental epiphany. Our conversations have been getting better ever since.
There’s No Telling What Your Kids Could Do
There’s no telling what your own kids could do. After a long life and 30 years in the public school trenches, I’ve concluded that genius is as common as dirt. We suppress our genius only because we haven’t yet figured out how to manage a population of educated men and women.
So says John Taylor Gatto in an Ode Magazine piece that laments the current educational system (emphasis mine).
People are wells of potential waiting to be realized. Anyone who has ever sat down and had a discussion with a child comes face to face with this fact at its most resplendent. Take a moment and think about the children in your life. They may be cousins, younger siblings, children, grandchildren, students, nieces or nephews. ”There’s no telling what your own kids could do”. Those words have a powerful ring to them!
What Does Philosophy for Kids Look Like?
The idea of young children having philosophical discussions isn’t always the most intuitive one! What does that kind of conversation look like?
This is one of the first questions I’m asked when I go in to teach philosophy at an elementary school. What will the first class look like? How will you introduce philosophy to the kids?
