In a world full of disinformation, finding ways to grasp truth and good sense is challenging. For younger people wandering the jungles of the hyper-algorithmed internet – unprepared and unprotected – this problem is surely even greater.
While discussions often point to regulations and tech accountability as ways to protect our children, these approaches only scratch the surface. What young people really need are tools to help them navigate this online world now and in the years ahead.
The Role of Education
Education is vital in this endeavour. I don’t simply mean educating young people about online dangers – though this is important. What I really mean is that young people – in fact, all of us – are better off if we know more about the world we live in and how it came to be whay it is.
History may not precisely repeat itself, but there are patterns that cycle through the centuries. Knowledge of the past enables us to see our present and future with a more focused lens. It is too easy for young people to think their generation is unique, but so much can be gained from understanding what went before us.
And then there are the ideas that we take for granted – ideas that have emerged over millennia, creating a world that would electrify the imaginations of those who laid its foundations. The Modern Western civilisation in which we live may have its flaws, but, on balance, it is evolved, extraordinary, and inspiring.
Building Critical Thinking Skills
While history has shown that education does not always guarantee the creation of good and ethical people (think Heidegger), it is more likely to give them the tools to analyse, think critically, and make informed assessments of information they encounter.
Our homeschool philosophy journey began unexpectedly with our daughter’s exploration of Jewish ethics. As part of her learning, she studied Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) with a family friend. This remarkable second-century text stimulated deep discussions and encouraged her to reflect on her life through its ethical teachings. As George Santayana famously noted, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
A Philosophy Course
My husband suggested using the young adult novel Sophie’s World as a framework for our course. We decided to run a teen home education course exploring the ideas that shaped today’s world. I set the level fairly high for this series, while continuously seeking to make each session accessible and engaging for students aged between 13 and 16, with different levels of comprehension and communication skills.
Part One: Ancient Greek Philosophy (Five Weeks)
Our five-week programme covered:
- The Pre-Socratics
- Socrates
- Plato
- Aristotle
- Hellenism, including the Cynics, Epicureans, Stoics, Neo-Platonists, and Mystics
Each week consisted of two sessions. The first, a late morning class, unpacked the material from the weekly required reading from Sophie’s World. These chapters provided accessible overviews of specific philosophers and their historical context.
In the afternoon session, students discussed philosophical or ethical questions emerging from the morning’s material. Learning to read the class’s attention and engagement and then find ways to be reactive to their interest and energy was demanding but incredibly instructive.
Applied Philosophy Discussions
We examined provocative topics such as:
- The responsibility of a citizen in the face of an invading army: should people fight and defend or run and hide?
- For communities that have found safety in an unsafe world, who would be accepted as refugees and who would not?
- What systems of government would be preferred in a post-apocalyptic society?
- Which types of government are better for small and large societies?
- Abstract concepts like the nature of truth and reality
Part Two: Modern Philosophy (Seven Weeks)
Our seven-week programme included:
- Religious Origins to Renaissance Rebirth
- Rationalism
- Empiricism
- Kant and the Enlightenment
- Romanticism, Hegel and Marx
- Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Existentialism
- Darwin and Freud
Students engaged with fundamental questions about:
- Free will
- The essence and importance of freedom
- Determining right and wrong
- Civic responsibility
- The existence of God
- The importance of belonging
- The compatibility of science and religion
During a session on Marx, we explored his iconic quotes. We had only two students that day, but the first two quotes particularly sparked their imagination:
- “The production of too many useful things results in too many useless people.”
- “Religion is the opium of the people.”
Unexpected Learning Outcomes
One delightful surprise was the multi-subject learning that emerged:
- English Literature: Discussing characters and literary devices from Sophie’s World
- History: Understanding the historical settings and changes that led to new ideas
- Religion: Exploring the influence of religious beliefs on philosophy
- Philosophy: Examining the ideas and arguments of different thinkers
Tools and Approach
I made extensive use of ChatGPT for summary notes and teaching suggestions. However, as with all my use of AI, Chat was a tool, not a substitute for my ideas. Very often, the discussion ideas offered were thrown out, and I constructed alternative concepts better fitting to the class dynamic of the day.
Reflections and Future Plans
The Philosophy Workshop was an experiment and a success. It took lots of work, and I was relieved to be at the end of the series, but it was absolutely worthwhile. While running the series, I learned so much myself. I had been familiar with all the thinkers, but there were many about whom I had only the most superficial knowledge.
For 2025, we’re considering two potential directions:
- In-depth text analysis of the philosophy texts we examined
- An exploration of ideas through another multi-subject course
Currently, my preference is a series that will explore different historical periods by examining literature from each time. My vision is to have students read three short texts from a historical period, providing insight into the era and containing concepts suitable for class discussion.
The journey of education, we’ve learned, is never truly about a single subject. It’s about cultivating curiosity, critical thinking, and a profound understanding of human experience.