There have recently been a series of prominent projects in the UK that aim to bring philosophy into the heart of prison education. The aim of this paper is to consider a possible rationale for this pedagogical development. A distinction is drawn between a content and a sensibility approach to teaching philosophy, where the latter is primarily…

I trace the beginnings of my journey in both P4C and p4c2 to my first encounter with Matthew Lipman, in his "office" which was, in fact, a caravan parked on the campus of Montclair State College. That was in August 1982, just prior to my oral examination at Oxford, in which I managed to persuade the examiners that my thesis in the…

Background: Issues of identity, interdependence, relationality and violence are far larger than the human species alone, although humanity has often pretended as if it alone were the beneficiaries of studying such ideas. Aim: Pedagogically, the complexity of existence beyond human being must influence the traditional humanities curriculum or risk…

Re-visioning education is critical to developing new ways of thinking and acting in the face of global threats to life from global climate change and weapons of mass destruction. Like philosophy in Quine's words, education is "losing contact with the people." Education suffers this loss in part because education has lost contact with…

Today there is a downward trend in the credibility of the humanities in university education including philosophy, it is evidenced by the reduction of popularity and the number of teaching hours. Nevertheless, according to students and professors, philosophy is an interesting and necessary discipline for specialists of various knowledge areas. The…

Everyone who writes anything--even non-fiction!--knows you discover things as you go along. Writing is a heuristic. Writing history is no different. Yet senior-secondary and tertiary exponents of the teaching and learning of history are often strangely tongue-tied on the matter of writing and thinking as engines of discovery in historical studies…

Recent scholarship claims that American colleges and universities give less and less attention to the meaning of life. In this article we critically evaluate the historical arguments for this claim, focusing primarily on the account given by Anthony Kronman. We argue that Kronman's history proves particularly problematic if one wants to…

In this paper we argue for the need for a thoughtful and intentional pedagogy in experiential environmental learning that educates for empathetic relationships with humans, nonhuman others, and natural systems, or field philosophy. After discussing the tensions in various ecofeminist perspectives, we highlight relevant ecofeminist ideas and thread…

Over the past several decades film and video have been steadily infiltrating the philosophy curriculum at colleges and universities. Traditionally, teachers of philosophy have not made much use of "audiovisual aids" in the classroom beyond the chalk board or overhead projector, with only the more adventurous playing audiotapes, for example, or…

In this article, we examine the invocation of Socrates as the exemplar for Earl Shorris' Clemente Course in the Humanities program. Our aim is to temper Shorris' claim that the Socratic method and the humanities are tools for political liberation. Though they may have this consequence, they are not exhausted by this consequence. Rather, this…

This article examined the relationship between logical empiricism and religious modes of thought, and suggested ways for teachers to give each approach its due. (Editor/RK)

Considers the need to reestablish the position of philosophy in the humanities. Questions the value of detachment and specialization as traits of the professional philosopher. Urges philosophers to take themselves less seriously and approach their discipline with humor. (DMM)

In arguing that philosophy should be taught in schools, it is defined as a search for truth and the ability to discern and distinguish logical coherence and abstract reasoning. The Classics may be used to teach philosophy; Plato's works, especially the "Euthyphro," are used to support the argument. (CHK)

SINCE MOST OF THE SCHOOL CURRICULUM IS DEVOTED TO SPECIALIZED DISCIPLINES, HUMANITIES COURSES PROVIDE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR CREATING IN STUDENTS AN AWARENESS OF THE UNITY WHICH EXISTS AMONG PHILOSOPHY, HISTORY, AND THE ARTS. INTENSIVE STUDY AND CLASS DISCUSSION OF INDIVIDUAL WORKS BECOMES IMPOSSIBLE, HOWEVER, WHEN TOO MANY BOOKS ARE CROWDED INTO A…

The newsletter provides useful information for the introduction of philosophy as an organized high school course. Through the newsletter, the Center disseminates information about its operation, and further, facilitates the exchange of information about other places engaged in basic research experimentation about curriculum, methods, and…