Foundations of Philosophy (ages 9-11)with Sally Zeiner The Little PrinceOur reading from The Little Prince led us into some new and interesting philosophical discussions. In class we read small excerpts and then used these as starting points for our discussions. As always, we work to establish our criteria and evidence, rather than just stating our opinions. Chapter IV First we considered the Turkish Astronomer who made his presentation "in Turkish costume, and so nobody would believe him." 1. How do we determine whether a person is qualified? What biases might get in the way? Then, with the help of Aristotle, we considered friendship. The pilot points out that, "When you tell them about a new friend, [grown-ups] never ask questions about what really matters. They never ask: 'What does his voice sound like?' 'What games does he like best?' 'Does he collect butterflies?' They ask: 'How old is he?' 'How many brothers does he have?' 'How much does he weigh?' 'How much money does his father make?'"
The pilot says grown-ups will believe the little prince existed if you say, "The planet he came from is Asteroid B-612." He says grown-ups won't believe he existed if you say, "The proof of the little prince's existence is that he was delightful, that he laughed, and that he wanted a sheep."
Chapter VIII The Little Prince says that he misunderstood the flower. “The fact is that I didn’t know how to understand anything. I ought to have judged by deeds and not words.” How do you know a person is your friend? For homework, students should read through Chapter XIX. They should also write a paragraph either about Aristotle's criteria for friendship (do they agree or disagree with Aristotle, and why?), or reality (Are plants and stones equally real? Are centaurs and square circles equally real?). Philosophy for Children (ages 12-14)with Rich Piscopo Secrets and TrustThis week after briefly discussing the Hunger Games movie and its themes (truth has power, truth threatens oppression, tyranny uses fear to control, hope beats fear, women are very powerful and know how to use that power -- the Greek myth of Atalanta comes to mind, cooperation works better than competition, a charismatic figure who brings hope can be very threatening to an oppressor -- here, the Christ story comes to mind), a student brought up the issue of children's rights. She thought that children don't have as many rights as adults. (We discussed this and I referred her to "Harry Stottlemeier's Discovery," Professor Lipman's first Philosophy for Children novella, the novella with which we began our Mosaic P4C journey. In it, Professor Lipman devotes much time discussing children's rights.) A second student responded to her comment by poignantly observing that she felt too old for her own age group, but too young for an adult age group. The other students all related to this comment. I said that it must be challenging to navigate such an "in-between" time. They said it was indeed challenging. I assured them that this awkward time will pass, and, if they stay disciplined and diligent, and open and receptive to life, they will find their place in the overall scheme of things. We then moved on to the notion of secrets. In the novella "Lisa," we started Chapter 4. It begins with Millie sharing secrets with her pet Peruvian guinea pig, Pablo. One student began the discussion by saying we keep secrets because we are afraid of being judged. Another then said that the test for a good friend is if they can keep your secrets. We just applied the critical thinking skill of establishing criteria for the idea of friendship, which we spent quite a bit of time on earlier in the term! The dialogue continued: The students agreed that secrets are based upon trust, and trust is based upon reciprocity (a concept we discussed in Chapter 2.) Therefore, secrets are based upon reciprocity; i.e., you trust someone with your secrets only if they trust you with theirs first. So we astutely asked, "Who goes first?" To which we replied, "You can trust someone even without expecting trust in return. If you want the relationship, it's worth taking the risk." with Sally Zeiner November 11This week in philosophy class we revisited the issues of ethics and identity through the events of Wings and Bigger than the Baker's Boy. Question 1: Ethics Cyril says that “stealing is stealing even if you've got wings.” Jane argues that no one scolds the birds, and then they go on to eat “quite as many plums as were good for them.” However, when Jane sees the man, she says, “We had some of your plums; we thought it wasn’t stealing, but now I am not so sure.” Later in the day, they feel that it is right to take the necessities of life from the clergyman, until they find themselves locked on the roof. Then, they begin once again to think that their actions are wrong. Do you think they were wrong to eat the clergyman’s food? How do you know when something is wrong? What kind of knowing is this? Was Robert wrong when he lassoed the baker’s boy? What about when he put him on the roof of the cowshed? Was it wrong to go to the fair as a giant to make money? The class worked to develop a criteria for right and wrong that can be applied in many situations, rather than simply stating an opinion of the ethics of each individual case. One budding philosopher articulated that it is the knowledge and willingness of the participants in each event that determine whether something is right or wrong. Another student of philosophy developed the term prehenceive: a preexisting law, something that has been set in stone for as long as anyone can remember; it is almost a sixth sense, something that you know you can or can't do. Similar ideas can be found in the work of Plato. Question 2: Identity Was Robert still Robert when he was a giant? Why or why not? What is your criterion for identity? Has it changed? Homework: Write your criterion for identity and bring it next week. What makes you you? Is your identity independent of the world around you, or does it depend on the world around you? Next week we will review our criteria for identity before we discuss chapters 15 and 16 from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. November 18Before we discussed the The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in class this week, we tried a few experiments in perception, taken from Philosophy for Kids. We also discussed Kant's position that for us to know something there must be both an objective reality and a subjective experience of that reality. You might enjoy trying these at home: Reality Look at an object placed on the table. Describe the (a) size, (b) shape, and (c) color without looking at your neighbors answers. A. B. C. Now list them on the chalkboard. Are the answers all the same? Discuss. How you do know what you know? Do you know 2 + 2 = 4? How do you know? a. It feels right when I look at it. b. I learned arithmetic in the first grade. c. I realize it can be proven using universally accepted mathematical principles. You are holding a ripe, red apple. How do you know that it is red? a. Because I can clearly see its redness. b. Because everyone calls this color “red.” c. Because I can see that it is red – and it is red. Next week we will begin discussing The Little Prince. Students should read through section VIII, and write down one or two different issues in the book that strike them as philosophical. We will discuss these in class. Foundations of Philosophy (Ages 9-11)with Sally Zeiner This week in class we began by using a story map to organize the details of our reading from Five Children and It, Wings. Once we were sure that we had all agreed on the basics of the story, we launched into a very challenging discussion on ways of knowing. In our discussion of who we are, and whether we exist, we learned about Rene Descartes proof, “I think therefore I am.” He said that because we can think about existence, we know we exist. He started by looking for things that he knew for certain. If something can be doubted, we do not know it for certain. Take a moment to think about the following questions:
Question 1: Ways of Knowing Descartes, and many philosophers since, have considered thinking to be the foundation of the way we know. Are there other ways that we know? The five children start to fly, and the author says, “Of course you all know what flying feels like, because everyone has dreamed about flying, and it seems so beautifully easy – only you can never remember how you did it; and as a rule you have to do it without wings, in your dreams, which is more clever and uncommon, but not so easy to remember the rule for.” Do we all know what flying feels like? Can we know things because we have dreamed about them? What other ways do we know things? After our discussion, we filled out a table with a variety of ways of knowing. I hope you will continue the discussion at home! This week we will continue Five Children and It, discussing the ethical issues raised in Wings and Bigger than the Baker's Boy. The children should be reading Bigger than the Baker's Boy, as indicated on the syllabus. Philosophy for Children (ages 12-14)with Rich Piscopo On Monday, we discussed the amazing skill of talking. Though we may take it for granted, when one stops to think of it, the act of speaking is a highly complex skill. How does a child learn to do it correctly? There is so much room for misinterpretation and error. We also discussed the many varied ways one may express one's thoughts and feelings (one's self), besides through speech. One can express oneself through the means of writing, painting, sculpting, dancing, music, sports, fashion, and so many as of yet undiscovered ways! We realized that the same idea or feeling may be expressed in many different modalities. This realization heightened our consciousness of art in general. With our heightened perception, we can now ask ourselves what the artist was thinking or feeling when they created a work of art. What mood where they in? Where were they psychologically when the creative moment struck? Where were they physically? What is the artist trying to convey? A student said that when he sees a work of art, he asks himself what season of the year the artist was trying to represent. Yes! See deep. Look behind the surface of things. This line of dialogue led another to say, "Did you ever wonder if you are in the background of someone else's picture?" To which a student replied, "Or in the back of someone else's mind?" (I love when this interplay of ideas occurs! Each building on the other's comment.) Now the discussion turns to points of view, and the value of seeing the world from another's point of view. We then universalized this practice. What would the world be like if everyone practiced this skill? Would there be conflicts? Wars? This rare skill is certainly worth the time and effort it takes to develop. Studying philosophy is an excellent means with which to develop this skill! And the journey continues... with Sally Zeiner I think, therefore I am? "Cogito ergo sum" concluded Rene Descartes. I think, therefore I am. Last week, the students in the Foundations of Philosophy class continued to work on refining and articulating their position on the core of personal identity. They wrote down their ideas in class, and those who felt comfortable read them aloud. For the past two weeks we have been discussing the core ingredients of personal identity. Can you lose your body like the Tin Woodman or the children in Five Children and It? If you lose your memory, will you still be the same person? What about your feelings? What about your family? Which of these things can you lose without becoming a different person altogether? The children have worked hard to establish their criteria for identity. I have been amazed by the insight revealed during our classroom discussions. They did a fantastic job explaining their thoughts on this challenging issue. Here are some of their conclusions: Musings...I think that you need everything: Thoughts, Feelings, Body, Relationships and Memories to be yourself. You need those because if you didn't have them you would change and you wouldn't be the same person. Your body would change and you wouldn't have relationships and memories with your family. You would be different just because you lost those few things. To be yourself you need to have them.
Foundations of Philosophy (Ages 9-11)with Sally Zeiner In our discussion of Robin Hood today, students raised some very thoughtful questions. After making sure that students understood the stories we began by tackling the challenging question of the ethics of Robin Hood; was what he was doing right or wrong? When is it ethical to take something from someone else? This conversation led us to ask other questions. Do we have a responsibility to take care of people in need in our community? Would Robin Hood have helped the poor if he had not lost his family and his property? Should Robin Hood have asked the old woman to disguise herself as him? We also raised an interesting and surprising question; did Robin Hood have a greater obligation to help others because of his exceptional talent? Students should read Robin Hood, chapters VII and VIII, for next week, and prepare for our discussion by writing a brief description of each chapter, answering the following questions: Who are the main characters? What is the problem, main event, and resolution? We will review their answers to make sure that the students understand the story before we continue discussing the social and ethical questions raised. We are not looking for one right answer to any of these questions. We are working on the ability to state our thoughts clearly and listen to others with a willingness to take their ideas seriously -- very challenging and important skills. If it is difficult for your child to speak in a group, it may be helpful for them to write down their reactions to some of the questions we discussed this week. Philosophy for Children (Ages 12-14)with Rich Piscopo At the end of every class, students write down a summation of ideas drawn from our time together. I find writing to be an excellent way to crystallize the thoughts generated during class. And, when we read these writings aloud at the beginning of the next class, it serves as an excellent means of reviewing the material. I encourage our students to save these writings, for in their search of discovering who they are, the writings give an excellent sense of perspective. And, the writings are also very grounding. They give concrete examples to sometimes very abstract and elusive concepts. Of course, the saved writings also serve as a portfolio of the student's progress. I was very impressed with the writings generated from our last class about criteria. I was a little concerned that the concept was not assimilated, but my concerns were put to rest once the students read their writings. Everyone assimilated and applied the concept. In other words, they got it! We did some more review on criteria, just to cement the concept, then we moved on to the idea of manners. What are manners, anyway, and why were they invented? One student thoughtfully said that manners were rules for society. Another picked up on this idea and offered the thought that there might be "emotional manners". Upon encouraging her to fully develop her idea, we discussed that just as there are rules for outer behavior, perhaps there are rules for "inner" behavior -- our feelings. We decided that these "inner" rules are based on respect. Respect for our own feelings, and respect for other's feelings. We further discussed that manners are invented social conventions. Why should we follow them? A student answered that if we don't follow them, we are not accepted. And we decided that acceptance is a good thing, especially if you want to get into a college or get a job. For next week, we plan to discuss what value is. Similar to the idea of quality, what gives something value? Do we ascribe value to an object or idea, or is anything inherently valuable, i.e., is anything valuable "in and of itself"? For example, is the idea of freedom inherently valuable, or is it valuable because we ascribe value to it? We also plan to discuss the mental act of judging. What is involved when we make a judgment? Here is where our background on criteria comes into play. All judgments are based on criteria. Before we make a judgment, we take into account as many considerations as we can think of. Some considerations are more important than others. Some are, in fact, decisive. We call these decisive considerations criteria. On with the search! I look forward to our next class! Foundations of Philosophy (Ages 9-11)with Sally Zeiner In Leo Lionni's picture book, Frederick, a community of mice prepares for the winter by gathering food. Frederick gathers colors and words. Was this necessary? Was this work? What is work? In Monday's class, the students grappled with these questions. These are difficult questions, not easily answered. We do not look for one right answer in class, but instead work to express ourselves, to listen respectfully, and then reconsider our positions in light of new ideas. Ask your students what they think work is after this week's conversation. Many students thought work should include effort and purpose. What does your student think? Next week we will be discussing Chapters I, IV, and V of Stories of Robin Hood Told to the Children. Please ask your student to bring his or her book, as it is very helpful to ground ideas and comments in the text as we begin our conversations. We will start by working out a basic understanding of Robin Hood's life and times before moving on to discuss the ethical issues raised by the stories. Philosophy for Children (Ages 12-14)with Rich Piscopo Monday's class flowed with a little less fluidity due to tackling a very deep and complicated concept: What is quality? How do we know when something is good? I asked how one person could see a movie and say it was good, and another person can see the same movie and say it was bad. How can this phenomenon occur? I referred to Socrates who asked (paraphrased for class use), "Do you like something because it's good, or is it good because you like it?" This led to a review of Plato's Theory of Forms, which states that there exists an absolute, universal, perfect essence of Goodness. Goodness is not relative. Even if no humans ever existed, this essence of Goodness would still exist. I countered this with the view that Goodness is relative. That, as one student put it, under one setting something can be good, but under a different setting the same thing can be bad. Through our continued dialogue, we revealed that in order to tell if something is good or bad, we need something to compare it to. We need to establish a basis of comparison. But, can't a thing be good in and of itself, without having anything to compare it to? I used the example of a Stradivarius violin. Does this violin of exceptional quality exist as good, in and of itself, without needing another violin to compare it to? Or, is its quality defined by comparing it to other violins? How do we proceed with this conundrum? As I mentioned last week, we begin by defining our terms and establishing criteria. I introduced the thinking skill of establishing criteria by first defining what criteria are. This went slowly at first, but all students eventually understood the concept that criteria are standards or principles of comparison which we use when we make a judgment. All students were able to apply this concept by the end of class. Since this idea may not have quite set in, however, I will open class next week by reviewing and practicing using this skill until it is mastered. Knowing how to establish criteria is a very fundamental critical thinking skill. All of our decision making is based upon it. It is therefore worth the time and effort invested in mastering it. I ended class by saying to the students that in our search for Goodness, immediate answers are not as important as the process of figuring out one's own set of principles, one's own standards, one's own criteria with which one makes sense of the world. Foundations of Philosophy (Ages 9-11)with Sally Zeiner I hope that your children enjoyed our first philosophical discussions as much as I did. They are a thoughtful and articulate group of children. I know you all would have been proud of their insightful remarks today on the nature of bravery. We began by going over the class rules which are simple: please do the reading, come prepared with the book, the syllabus, binder, and pencil or pen, and arrive on time. I told the students that I know it is often Mom or Dad who is the last one to be ready to go out the door, and so they should try to help as much as possible in the mornings. We also talked about the rules for our philosophical discussions. We are going to be challenged to think carefully about our answer before we speak, and to be very thoughtful and offer examples when we disagree with another student's position on a question. As you might imagine, these are skills that will be very useful. Today we also read "Dragons and Giants" and "Cookies" from Frog and Toad Together. We spent much of the class discussing what makes an act brave. Some of the students are still working on writing up their final positions on bravery to turn in to me next week. We ended the class by discussing willpower. All students should write their positions in answer to the following question: Is it true that giving all of the cookies to the birds means that Frog and Toad "have lots and lots of willpower"? Please make sure that they explain their positions (just a couple of sentences will be enough). For next week, students should read Frederick by Leo Lionni. Please find a copy of Stories of Robin Hood Told to Children; we will be reading three chapters for our third week. Have a wonderful week! Philosophy for Children (Ages 12-14)with Rich Piscopo At the beginning of every year, I put much effort into rebuilding the trust we enjoyed at the end of the last year. My main objective at this point is to form our "community of inquiry", which, of course, is based upon trust. A student (or any person) needs a nonjudgmental environment before they will share their thoughts. By the end of class, we began to arrive at where I want us to be. That feeling of exploring together began to emerge. We covered lots of ground in our review of chapters one and two of Lisa. The question was asked, "How do we know what the right thing to do is?" We explored the question of what code or principle we should use with which to guide our lives. This is exactly what Lisa and her friends in the novella are seeking. We all agreed that reason is a good guide for our lives (in the way Socrates used it to guide his life). But, also like Socrates, we agreed that we should always be open to new ideas and new evidence, much as a good scientist remains open to new ideas and evidence. So, onward with the journey of discovery! Next week we begin chapter three of Lisa, where we will explore the idea of quality. How do we know when something has quality? How do we know when something is good? How do we measure the value of an idea? By its consequences? Can an idea be inherently valuable, or do we ascribe value to it? We begin this search by defining our terms, then establishing our criteria. As usual, I'm sure it will be a very interesting class! |
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