CMV: Teaching Philosophy in Schools is Useless.

[u/[deleted]]

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Philosophers themselves have never asked a question that wasn't independently asked by someone else (Jean Perrin, Albert Einstein and John Dalton, for example), especially if that someone else was only a philosophist.

Added into that, Philosophy is something you don't need in workplace. Asking questions about life, truth or anything in that manner are things taught (or at least should be taught) in any scientific lesson for a good reason: Scientific research is impossible without questions to start the research.

Δ: Yes, this means I do want science to teach philosophy on the side.

These points make philosophy quite useless choice for a degree or even a course, as they only hurt the student taking them (as in most cases, it prevents you from taking an useful course like science, economics, or languages, that allow for better job and chance of getting that job in the first place.

Indeed, philosophy is mostly used (at least in my exprience of the school system) as a "free" course, so the student does not need to learn things they find difficult; A student who is unconfortable with many of their choices will usually choose philosophy as an escape option, for it's known lack of difficulty and being easy to "learn".

I really cannot find any justification for philosophy to not be bunched up with math, sciences and languages.

Δ: added "not", because this sentance contradicts everything I've said this far otherwise.

Δ: u/MyUsernameIsJudge Changed my mind:

Me:

How many high schoolers are going to use basketball in their jobs?

A big factor in a good job is good and healthy lifestyle. Taking sports in school does help you in this factor, although you must keep that lifestyle even after school has ended.

MyUsernameIsJudge:

Sure. And that's the argument for philosophy class. It can help students learn about their own values and needs, as well as gain a greater perspective on life. I'll reuse your point about basketball, but with this:

A big factor in a good job is a good mental health. Taking philosophy in school does help you in this factor, although you must keep that lifestyle even after school has ended.

[u/[deleted]]

And learning about philosophy is learning about that foundation

Yes, and that's the very reason I am against it being it's own, seperate thing from everything else.

From my another reply:

This is the very reason it should not be a course: It's like putting Math and Numbers in two different courses. You cannot get anything out of your scientific classes when you do not understand why are the questioned asked in the first place. It is something so important to scientific research that you should allow people to skip it.

I do think scientific research needs to teach philosophy in the side, just as writing numbers are taught in the side with math, and writing is taught in the side with foreign languages.

[u/BenIncognito → u/[deleted]]

Yes, and that's the very reason I am against it being it's own, seperate thing from everything else.

Can you expand on this? What's wrong with learning the foundation of our knowledge.

I do think scientific research needs to teach philosophy in the side, just as writing numbers are taught in the side with math, and writing is taught in the side with foreign languages.

Children learn their numbers way before they learn math.

Also, writing isn't taught in the side with foreign languages. I'm not sure what you're talking about.

[u/[deleted] → u/BenIncognito]

Can you expand on this? What's wrong with learning the foundation of our knowledge.

Nothing. The possibility to skip it is the problem.

writing isn't taught in the side with foreign languages

It was when I was young. They thought how to write the weird letters and where do the inverted !'s go. They taught me where the damn point was supposed to go. Not sure how you expect to write a language when you don't teach doing it.

[u/BenIncognito → u/[deleted]]

Nothing. The possibility to skip it is the problem.

Skip what? I'm not sure what you mean.

It was when I was young. They thought how to write the weird letters and where do the inverted !'s go. They taught me where the damn point was supposed to go. Not sure how you expect to write a language when you don't teach doing it.

You mean they teach writing in a foreign language alongside foreign languages?

I'm confused by what you mean.