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June 4, 2013
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Why the French Teach Philosophy?
A brief but interesting article on the French Education System's focus on philosophy
Please see the link http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22729780 and share your thoughts. Could the American Education System benefit from a greater emphasis on classical philosophy, why or why not?
Thanks,
Eric
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Eric,
I really enjoyed this article! The main point that I believe the author communicates is that philosphy teaches students how to think. It seems to me that this is a foreign concept to American students who are consumed with getting the right answer and subsequent grade. They miss the whole point of thinking for themselves.
The lack of thinking ability, however, is not so much the fault of the students as it is the system that produced them. Many exasperated faculty have commented that they wish students would think for themselves, but, the system doesn't teach them how to do this. The system teaches them how to pass a test.
Clasical philosophy has componets of ethics and logic which are both needed in America today. It also challenges students intellectually and helps them grow. I believe society would be better served if we incorporated some philosophy in high school and college curricula.
Hello Daniel:
I think that traditionally one of the best aspects of the American style education is the lack of learning by rote. The demands of the American system asked students to think in a holistic manner, examine the material critically, and then come to their own conclusion - which they needed to back up with quality research. This allowed America to be a society focused on innovation and new ideas. Much of the rest of the world is attempting to emulate this paradigm to achieve a competitive advantage. Unfortunately, and allow me to editorialize, we are moving away from a critical thinking paradigm toward a test-taking one. Students are now taught material to prepare them for standardize test taking. This does not entail thinking, only learning, which are not the same thing. I agree that a greater emphasis on critical thinking and classical philosophy could help improve the situation. Learning to memorize Aristotle or Cicero does little to help develop critical thinking abilities, but learning to apply the concepts in real-world situations certainly does.
Thanks,
Eric
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