People sometimes say that judgments about what’s true, what’s ethical, what others find beautiful or aesthetically pleasing, and more are "subjective." What does “subjective” really mean? Are judgments like these truly “subjective”? This essay introduces different answers to these questions.
Category: Philosophy of Education
Moral Education: Teaching Students to Become Better People
What are the proper moral education, and how should those goals be pursued? Theories of moral education try to answer that question: they provide ideas about how we can, and should, try to teach morality and shape students into morally better people. This essay introduces some of the most influential theories.
Plato’s Allegory of the Cave: the Journey Out of Ignorance
Plato’s book The Republic is a dialogue about justice. It contains the “Allegory of the Cave”, a fanciful story that illustrates some of Plato’s ideas about education and the distinction between appearance and reality. This essay introduces the Allegory and explains its meaning.
Indoctrination: What is it to Indoctrinate Someone?
An introduction to the concept of indoctrination or what it is to indoctrinate someone, and whether that's problematic or bad or not.
Critical Thinking: What is it to be a Critical Thinker?
An introduction to the theory and practice of critical thinking: what is it to be a critical thinker?
African American Existentialism: DuBois, Locke, Thurman, and King
An introduction to African American Existentialism and the thought of DuBois, Locke, Thurman, and King.
What is Philosophy?
What is philosophy? The question is itself a philosophical question. This essay surveys some answers. #philosophy #whatisphilosophy #definingphilosophy
Philosophical Inquiry in Childhood
Author: Jana Mohr Lone Category: Philosophy of Education Word Count: 994 What does it mean to be normal? Why am I here? What makes someone love you? Can you think and feel at the same time? Are numbers real? How do I know the right thing to do? Children begin speculating about philosophical questions early in … Continue reading Philosophical Inquiry in Childhood
Mary Astell’s “A Serious Proposal to the Ladies”
Mary Astell’s (1666-1731) A Serious Proposal to the Ladies, for the Advancement of their True and Greatest Interest by a Lover of Her Sex, Parts I and II (1694, 1697) is a philosophical text that argues that women are in an inferior moral condition compared to men, analyses the causes of this problem, and presents a two-part remedy. This essay introduces her serious proposal.
Ethics and “Extra Credit”
A variety of extra credit opportunities are often given as a way to raise grades on assignments and tests and overall course grades. But there are reasons why instructors should not offer extra credit, that doing so is unjustified and unfair. Extra credit is common but is surprisingly controversial.