Teaching Philosophy

One of the biggest challenges in teaching philosophy to beginning students is demonstrating its relevance to their lives. This year I’m experimenting with movies and videos, both through mail services and free content on the web, and I think the results may actually be working, though the semester is admittedly still young.

For instance I’m attempting to model the process of asking and answering questions, so central to the philosophical enterprise, and the video series Ethics in America, available free by registering at the Annenberg Media Learning site, offers an apt and entertaining way to do this. A commentator poses common but thorny ethical situations to a panel composed of various public figures (e.g., in one there’s a member of congress, a reverend, a rabbi, a university president, and a famous columnist, among others), giving each an opportunity to respond and defend their positions. The responses by the panel are thoughtful and lively, and most importantly for my purposes, there are probing questions by both the moderator and other panel members about what justifies each person’s moral standpoint. One could call this a diluted version of the Socratic Method or an intense version of a spirited everyday conversation depending on your perspective. These videos have the perfect tone to introduce students to two fundamental philosophical objectives: 1) persistent inquiry into the bases of our surface beliefs and intuitions, and 2) the little known fact (to students anyway) that intelligent people can negotiate disagreements and still respect one another’s point of view. For me, these are two key goals to aspire to in the classroom, especially given the current surrounding social climate where many seem drawn to extreme views.

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