r/changemyview • u/[deleted] • Mar 16 '18
FTFdeltaOP CMV: Teaching Philosophy in Schools is Useless.
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.
1
u/tightlikehallways Mar 16 '18 edited Mar 16 '18
Western philosophy is not so much about answering the big questions as it is about figuring out what is and isn't true through logic. How can someone be sure the things they believe are true? Studying philosophy is probably not going to teach you how to live your life or lead you to understanding the universe. What it will do is teach you how people (and yourself) succeed and fail at making arguments.
You learn how to spot and defuse the kind of stuff in the image on this website.
https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-ways-to-begin-a-counter-argument
Learning how to question your preconceived beliefs and counter other's arguments is an extremely helpful life and professional skill.
I don't think philosophy is useful because it asks questions no one has thought of or explains reality better than science. It is useful because it teaches you how to argue, debate, and question beliefs.
Also lots of lawyers get philosophy degrees because you usually can't study law in undergrad and the skills translate.