Introduction to Philosophy
“Philosophy can and should be taught in high school because this is the ideal time for students to engage its questions, arguments, and rigorous methods of thinking. High school students have not yet fully formed their habits of mind. They remain open, inquisitive, and intellectually playful... Philosophy is important both for its instrumental value – as a discipline that will help students perform better in school and in higher education – as well as for the intrinsic rewards it promises. Now more than ever students need to become engaged in the world as skilled thinkers, as citizens in a democracy, and as global citizens. The stakes couldn’t be higher, or the need for responsible, reflective, systematic thinkers greater.” -PLATO-Philosophy.org
Introduction to Philosophy
Philosophy (from the Greek phílosophía, meaning ‘the love of wisdom’) is the study of knowledge, or "thinking about thinking." The goal of a philosophical dialogue is not agreement or final resolution, but that all participants be able to decide what each thinks is most reasonable, whether those judgments are in line with the views of a majority or a minority of the other participants or is one student’s view alone. -PLATO-Philosophy.org
Student Learning Objectives:
Ethics - Moral Relativism
Do you agree that all values depend on what a culture accepts? Or what an individual believes and feels? Should all societies accept each other’s differing moral values? Are there any universal moral principles? -PLATO-Philosophy.org
Student Learning Objectives:
Ethics - Values, Norms, and Rules in Different Cultures
This discussion introduces students to the topics of values, norms and rules in different cultures. Philosophers debate whether or not there are universal values across different cultures, for if we cannot claim that there are one or more of these values, it is difficult to critique practices across cultures, and even difficult to do so from within a single culture. -PLATO-Philosophy.org
Student Learning Objectives:
The Ethical Dilemma of Self-Driving Cars
The new technology of driverless cards has opened up a real-world corollary to the 65 year old tradition of Trolley Problems. The basic question here involved how the cars should be programmed: to protect their passengers or others out on the road? -PLATO-Philosophy.org
Student Learning Objectives:
READ: People Want Driverless Cars with Utilitarian Ethics, Unless They're a Passenger
READ: Why Self-Driving Cars Must be Programmed to Kill
Utilitarianism & The Trolley Problem
The Trolley Problem, a thought experiment in ethics, presents a background for modern day dilemmas regarding self-driving cars.
Student Learning Objectives:
Katrina Hospital Ethics
Ethical Theories Quizlet
Quarter 1 Final Exam Review
Final Exam Study Guide Questions
Quarter 1 Finals Week
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of existence, being and the world. Arguably, metaphysics is the foundation of philosophy. Aristotle called it "first philosophy" (or sometimes just "wisdom"), and said it is the subject that deals with "first causes and the principles of things". -PLATO-Philosophy
Student Learning Objectives:
Personal Identity
What conditions are necessary for personal identity over time? Qualities for personal identity include: (1) Soul, (2) Body, and (3) Psychological continuity. Students will evaluate early childhood photos of themselves to answer the question: Are you the same person today that you were at the moment captured in your photo?
Student Learning Objectives:
Split-Brain Theory
Godfrey Vesy, a professor of philosophy, introduces the problem of split-brain transplants. That is, a brain is divided into two, and half is put into each of two other people's brainless heads. Does the original person survive? Derek Parfit, an English philosopher, responds by developing his ideas of person identify as psychological identity. -Brain Transplants and Personal Identity: A Dialogue by Derek Parfit and Godfrey Vesey
Student Learning Objectives:
Who Am I?
"Throughout the history of mankind, the subject of identity has sent poets to the blank page, philosophers to the agora and seekers to the oracles. These murky waters of abstract thinking are tricky to navigate, so it’s probably fitting that to demonstrate the complexity, the Greek historian Plutarch used the story of a ship. Amy Adkins illuminates Plutarch’s Ship of Theseus." -TED Ed
Student Learning Objectives:
The American Dream
Dream big, work hard, and anything can be yours. That's the American Dream, isn't it? Yet is it always achievable? What if, despite hard work, that dream is out of reach? For many Americans, it is. Students watch the stories of 3 families as they struggle to reach the American Dream. Created by Mrs. Romais's colleague, and friend Dr. April Watson for TedED.
WATCH: The Working Poor and Homeless in the USA
Student Learning Objectives:
Quarter 2 Finals Week
Extra Credit Assignment: VIEW and RESPOND.
Justice in Philosophy
Plato attempted to define the just individual and the just society in The Republic. Plato argues that happiness for the individual and harmony for the state necessitate justice. Students will connect these issues to a contemporary theory of justice and current issues of inequality.
Student Learning Objectives:
Fair or Equal?
This week, students explore whether fairness always means that everyone should get the same thing. Are there cases in life where it’s fair to give some people more (or different things) than others? Consider examples like handicapped parking spaces or extra time in test-taking for people with learning disabilities. Is everyone getting the same thing always the fair way? Are there situations in which it’s okay for people to be treated differently?
Student Learning Objectives:
The Tragedy of the Commons & Consequences of Unsustainability in the Lorax
Animal Minds
For much of modern science, since the Enlightenment, animals were generally thought to be automatons: materialist robots programmed to behave in certain ways. Rene Descartes drew a sharp distinction between thinking beings, humans, and everything else, matter. 20th Century behaviorism continued to think of animals in this way but added humans to the mix. “Mind” was a myth, a "ghost in the machine," and did not really exist. All that counted was behavior and we did not think to complicate science by positing a “mind” behind the actions. But in recent decades the question of the animal mind has come to the fore again. -PLATO
Student Learning Objectives:
Quarter 4 Quizlet Review
Philosophy (from the Greek phílosophía, meaning ‘the love of wisdom’) is the study of knowledge, or "thinking about thinking." The goal of a philosophical dialogue is not agreement or final resolution, but that all participants be able to decide what each thinks is most reasonable, whether those judgments are in line with the views of a majority or a minority of the other participants or is one student’s view alone. -PLATO-Philosophy.org
Student Learning Objectives:
- Students will identify the goals of philosophical dialogue
- Students will discuss the benefits of philosophical study
- Students will evaluate group reasoning skills
Ethics - Moral Relativism
Do you agree that all values depend on what a culture accepts? Or what an individual believes and feels? Should all societies accept each other’s differing moral values? Are there any universal moral principles? -PLATO-Philosophy.org
Student Learning Objectives:
- Students will understand the meaning of "relativism"
- Students will compare moral relativism and moral absolutism.
- Students will consider alternatives to relativism to being the process of understanding the source and nature of ethical values.
Ethics - Values, Norms, and Rules in Different Cultures
This discussion introduces students to the topics of values, norms and rules in different cultures. Philosophers debate whether or not there are universal values across different cultures, for if we cannot claim that there are one or more of these values, it is difficult to critique practices across cultures, and even difficult to do so from within a single culture. -PLATO-Philosophy.org
Student Learning Objectives:
- Students will consider rules or customs across cultures
- Students will analyze philosopher James Rachels' view on cultural relativism
- Students will evaluate whether core values exist which all cultures share
The Ethical Dilemma of Self-Driving Cars
The new technology of driverless cards has opened up a real-world corollary to the 65 year old tradition of Trolley Problems. The basic question here involved how the cars should be programmed: to protect their passengers or others out on the road? -PLATO-Philosophy.org
Student Learning Objectives:
- Students will consider the role of programming in moral choices
- Students will explore the idea of utilitarianism
- Students will discuss the core moral dilemmas involved in the programming of driverless cars
READ: People Want Driverless Cars with Utilitarian Ethics, Unless They're a Passenger
READ: Why Self-Driving Cars Must be Programmed to Kill
Utilitarianism & The Trolley Problem
The Trolley Problem, a thought experiment in ethics, presents a background for modern day dilemmas regarding self-driving cars.
Student Learning Objectives:
- Students will be able to explain utilitarianism as it applies to ethics
- Students will explore different versions of the Trolley Problem, including the Transplant Scenario
- Students will discuss the value of thought experiments in ethics
Katrina Hospital Ethics
Ethical Theories Quizlet
Quarter 1 Final Exam Review
Final Exam Study Guide Questions
Quarter 1 Finals Week
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of existence, being and the world. Arguably, metaphysics is the foundation of philosophy. Aristotle called it "first philosophy" (or sometimes just "wisdom"), and said it is the subject that deals with "first causes and the principles of things". -PLATO-Philosophy
Student Learning Objectives:
- Students will define metaphysics in philosophy
- Students will evaluate what it means to be human
- Students will discuss what role does free will plays in deeming someone fully human
Personal Identity
What conditions are necessary for personal identity over time? Qualities for personal identity include: (1) Soul, (2) Body, and (3) Psychological continuity. Students will evaluate early childhood photos of themselves to answer the question: Are you the same person today that you were at the moment captured in your photo?
Student Learning Objectives:
- Students will evaluate whether childhood and adolescence can be seen as two stages in the life of one person OR as two distinct persons that bear a resemblance
- Students will analyze a philosophy essay on personal identity and the problem of split-brain transplants
Split-Brain Theory
Godfrey Vesy, a professor of philosophy, introduces the problem of split-brain transplants. That is, a brain is divided into two, and half is put into each of two other people's brainless heads. Does the original person survive? Derek Parfit, an English philosopher, responds by developing his ideas of person identify as psychological identity. -Brain Transplants and Personal Identity: A Dialogue by Derek Parfit and Godfrey Vesey
Student Learning Objectives:
- Students will discuss whether Parfit's analysis of the problem of the split-brain case is plausible
- Students will define psychological continuity
- Students will explore the three possible answers to the question, "What's going to happen to me?" in the split-brain case, and how Parfit treats them.
- Students will discuss the problem of personal identity.
Who Am I?
"Throughout the history of mankind, the subject of identity has sent poets to the blank page, philosophers to the agora and seekers to the oracles. These murky waters of abstract thinking are tricky to navigate, so it’s probably fitting that to demonstrate the complexity, the Greek historian Plutarch used the story of a ship. Amy Adkins illuminates Plutarch’s Ship of Theseus." -TED Ed
Student Learning Objectives:
- Students will analyze the story of the Ship of Theseus as a philosophical paradox.
- Students will compare the Ship of Theseus to the split-brain theory.
- Students will discuss why the question "Who am I?" is so challenging to answer.
The American Dream
Dream big, work hard, and anything can be yours. That's the American Dream, isn't it? Yet is it always achievable? What if, despite hard work, that dream is out of reach? For many Americans, it is. Students watch the stories of 3 families as they struggle to reach the American Dream. Created by Mrs. Romais's colleague, and friend Dr. April Watson for TedED.
WATCH: The Working Poor and Homeless in the USA
Student Learning Objectives:
- Students will evaluate whether the "American Dream" is attainable for all.
- Students will consider ways to help people escape poverty.
- Students will explore how national identity, career, or socio-economic level affect a person’s identity.
- Students will discuss how being homeless can affect an individual’s personal identity.
Quarter 2 Finals Week
Extra Credit Assignment: VIEW and RESPOND.
Justice in Philosophy
Plato attempted to define the just individual and the just society in The Republic. Plato argues that happiness for the individual and harmony for the state necessitate justice. Students will connect these issues to a contemporary theory of justice and current issues of inequality.
Student Learning Objectives:
- Students will question the definition of justice as present in Plato's Republic.
- Students will apply concepts of justice in a specific situation.
- Students will discuss the difficulties of obtaining the ideal of justice.
Fair or Equal?
This week, students explore whether fairness always means that everyone should get the same thing. Are there cases in life where it’s fair to give some people more (or different things) than others? Consider examples like handicapped parking spaces or extra time in test-taking for people with learning disabilities. Is everyone getting the same thing always the fair way? Are there situations in which it’s okay for people to be treated differently?
Student Learning Objectives:
- Students will explore the nature of fairness
- Students will examine whether fairness requires that everyone should have the same things.
The Tragedy of the Commons & Consequences of Unsustainability in the Lorax
Animal Minds
For much of modern science, since the Enlightenment, animals were generally thought to be automatons: materialist robots programmed to behave in certain ways. Rene Descartes drew a sharp distinction between thinking beings, humans, and everything else, matter. 20th Century behaviorism continued to think of animals in this way but added humans to the mix. “Mind” was a myth, a "ghost in the machine," and did not really exist. All that counted was behavior and we did not think to complicate science by positing a “mind” behind the actions. But in recent decades the question of the animal mind has come to the fore again. -PLATO
Student Learning Objectives:
- Students will offer their own definition of the criteria for something to be considered a mind. What would this include or exclude?
- Students will consider makes deception a particularly complex thought process.
- Students will explore animals showing compassion and a sense of justice.
Quarter 4 Quizlet Review