Teaching Philosophy: Finding a Balance between the Factors that Motivate Philosophy, Students’ Imagination, and their Interests
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Abel Pablo Iannone
Abstract
This paper asks: What is philosophy and what are some current challenges and future prospects for pursuing and teaching it? What role can and should students’ imagination, interests, and circumstances play in addressing these challenges and prospects? It argues, first, that there are at least six senses of the term “philosophy”: the personal, social, branch of inquiry, theory, school of thought, and wise sayings senses; second, that a variety of stimuli contribute to motivate philosophy in all of its senses. Third, it argues that teaching philosophy involves not just teaching one or more philosophies historically held, nor just partially or totally defending one or another of these philosophies; but also engaging in the third sense of “philosophy” above listed: philosophy as a branch of inquiry. Finally, the paper argues that by relying on the interests of philosophy learners that match the stimuli motivating philosophy, philosophy teaching sensitizes philosophy learners to the grounds that make this investigation viable and promising, and motivates them to engage in it.
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Articles
- Educational Responsibilities of Philosophers – SATS Special Issue: Introduction
- Ethics for Philosophers: An Introduction
- The Evolution of the Thought of Richard Peters: Neglected Aspects
- The Educational Responsibilities of Philosophers
- Teaching Philosophy from Scratch: Designing Dynamic Pedagogy for Adult ‘Firsts’
- Teaching Philosophy: Finding a Balance between the Factors that Motivate Philosophy, Students’ Imagination, and their Interests
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Articles
- Educational Responsibilities of Philosophers – SATS Special Issue: Introduction
- Ethics for Philosophers: An Introduction
- The Evolution of the Thought of Richard Peters: Neglected Aspects
- The Educational Responsibilities of Philosophers
- Teaching Philosophy from Scratch: Designing Dynamic Pedagogy for Adult ‘Firsts’
- Teaching Philosophy: Finding a Balance between the Factors that Motivate Philosophy, Students’ Imagination, and their Interests
