A fifty minute philosophy class is required of all students at Columbia Secondary School (CSS) and is taught by all teachers, regardless of their field of specialization. The program is designed jointly by Dr. Paul Thomson, the Philosopher-in-Residence at CSS, and Dr. Deanna Kuhn, of Columbia University Teachers College. Some of Dr. Kuhn’s doctoral students assist with instruction.
While philosophy is quite commonly taught to middle and high school students in other countries, it is still rarely found in middle and high schools in the United States. That is a shame, for philosophy makes a significant contribution to writing and critical thinking skills, and it intersects in many places with other parts of the core curriculum. What is more, students are very good at doing philosophy (much to the surprise of some adults). Think how many times children ask “Why?”, that most basic of philosophical questions. While “philosophy” literally means “love of wisdom”, it is perhaps better characterized as an attempt to answer those questions that science by itself cannot answer, that can only be answered by thinking about them. To take just two examples, science by itself will not tell us whether lying is always wrong, or what was going on “before” the big bang. For that, philosophical dialogue is required (and indeed, some philosophers argue that the second question doesn’t even make sense).
In the sixth and seventh grades, our primary goal is to have students learn that there is no such thing as a right to an opinion. Holding an opinion brings with it the responsibility of having good reasons which support that opinion, as well as a responsibility to critically examine those reasons and to seriously consider alternative views. These are the skills that are necessary if we are to turn our children into good citizens. So at CSS we are not concerned that students learn the various “isms”, or the positions of famous philosophers, rather it is the ideas that are important (the “isms” and famous philosophers can be added as students progress to higher grade levels). We begin with topics drawn largely from ethics and aesthetics. Seemingly simple questions such as “Would you still act ethically if you were invisible?” spark interesting and intense debates. We also have units devoted to the “big” questions. Here is a sampling: What is love?, Is beauty a matter of fact or a matter of taste?, What is the purpose of art?, Is lying always wrong? Do animals have rights?, What are our obligations to the environment?, Why do bad things happen to good people?, and, of course, What is the meaning of life?. These topics and others are treated in detail in our primary text, Philosophy for Teens (volume 1) by Sharon Kaye, Ph.D. and Paul Thomson, Ph.D. A second volume will be used in higher grades and treats topics such as the nature of knowledge, whether machines can think, whether free will is real or simply an illusion, the difference between real science and fakery (pseudoscience), and the like. These volumes have in common a commitment to “drama pedagogy”; that is, short plays open each chapter and introduce the main topic, and students are asked in turn to write plays of their own. This means that students are actively participating in their own learning, and not simply memorizing the text.
Unfortunately, philosophy is not a subject that is supported by the Department of Education of either New York City or New York State. We will also not have enough doctoral students to cover all of the grade levels that we hope to add. As CSS continues to expand by one grade each year, our ability to mount a philosophy course at each of the seven grade levels will be difficult, if not impossible, to achieve without private support.