Re: MD Do we all need philosophy

From: David MOREY (us@divadeus.freeserve.co.uk)
Date: Sat Jan 31 2004 - 17:39:54 GMT

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    Hi

    Hard to get philosophically sophisticated without reading philosophy.
    And what is read in schools is a public not private matter.
    Do you advocate philosophy in schools or not?
    I take 'as many types of books' as implying yes.
    I would prefer that we were more ambitious in schools
    and did more hard books and also science and the philosophy of science.

    DM
    ----- Original Message -----
    From: "MATTHEW PAUL KUNDERT" <mpkundert@students.wisc.edu>
    To: <moq_discuss@moq.org>
    Sent: Friday, January 30, 2004 11:21 PM
    Subject: Re: MD Do we all need philosophy

    > David,
    >
    > David said:
    > Matt recently suggested that he would not particularly like to see
    everyone become more philosophically sophisticiated.
    >
    > Matt:
    > I'd like to see the documentation on this one. This is a common
    misunderstanding of what I've said about this particular topic and I doubt I
    said I wouldn't like everyone to "become more philosophically
    sophisticated."
    >
    > I would love everyone to become more philosophically sophisticated. I
    would love for more people to understand what I talk about. It's the kind
    of desire people have when they read a good book and want all of their
    friends to read it so they can all talk about it. What I've said about
    philosophy is that I don't think there is anything special about studying
    philosophy for picking up critical thinking skills. As such, I don't think
    we _need_ to teach philosophy. The only sense in which I think we need to
    teach philosophy is the sense that I think schools have a responsibility to
    throw as many different kinds of books at students to get them turned on to
    something. It would be a shame if nobody knew who Plato was, but it would
    be an even bigger shame if Plato was never taught and so a person who might
    fall in love with Plato never got the chance.
    >
    > I think these things because I see philosophy and "examining the big
    questions" as purely private acts, in the sense of doing it on the weekends.
    If people don't want to examine the "big questions," as a good American, I
    don't think they should have to. Do _I_ think they are missing out on
    something? Possibly, and it might be something that would help them. I
    know if I didn't read and think about philosophy I would be missing
    something, but I think it is a common mistaken assumption to think that
    because it is true for you it must be true for everybody. Philosophy has
    helped me, but I don't think it will _necessarily_ help everbody.
    >
    > Matt
    >
    >
    >
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