Philosophy has been taught as part of the secondary school curriculum in France since the introduction of the Bacculauréat in 1809. It is also taught at second level in Austria, Germany, UK and Italy, to name but a few countries. Since last month, philosophy has been included in the Irish secondary school curriculum in the form of an optional short course, which is part of the reformed Junior Certificate.
The minister who announced its introduction, former Minister for Education Jan O’Sullivan, declared her wish “to give students an opportunity to explore the concepts and ideas of philosophy in the 21st century”. However, speaking to The University Times, Joe Humphreys, journalist for the Irish Times and author of the weekly “Unthinkable” philosophy column, warned that “for the short course to have a real impact, secondary schools will have to embrace a degree of cultural change – and allow for genuine intellectual inquiry”. Despite that reproach, he acknowledged that “a benefit of the Junior Cycle short course is that it will be taught under the new format of classroom-based assessment – and therefore teachers and pupils will not be held captive by a terminal exam”.
Third-level institutions and employers say the skills which young people need to adapt to the modern world fall under headings like critical thinking and logic
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Critics of philosophy have labelled it as everything from an esoteric armchair discipline to Buzzfeed’s ironic description as “a total waste of time”. This is a misconception based on philosophy’s engagement with abstract ideas, including the nature of power, freedom, knowledge and ethics. Regarding its purpose, Humphreys proposes that philosophy in secondary education “can potentially act as a counter-balance to the narrow form of teaching and learning in Irish secondary schools – best described as ‘teaching to the test’”.
In terms of practicality, he points to the fact that “third-level institutions and employers say the skills which young people need to adapt to the modern world fall under headings like critical thinking, logic, cross-disciplinary understanding or, dare one say, wisdom”. On this view, it is clear that the skills students learn from philosophical abstraction have practical application in critical thinking by teaching students to ask questions, challenge assumptions and to seek truth for themselves.
Beyond the merits of the subject, there remains the issue of how it ought to be taught, especially since it is an introductory course. At university, students have chosen their subject and have managed to reach third-level, and so lecturers can assume a higher degree of motivation and competency. Admittedly, the attendance at 9am lectures does not say much in favour of motivation. However, at secondary school, there is an added onus on educators to ensure that the content remains accessible for as many students as possible. But in doing so, they must also ensure that it is sufficiently challenging to meet the needs of stronger students.
Commonly, philosophy is taught either chronologically by historical period or by individual topics. Prof Peter Simons, the former head of Trinity’s Head of the School of Social Sciences and Philosophy, who was recently ranked the 35th most influential living philosopher, expressed his view to The University Times that “of the two approaches, the topic-based one is definitely better for teenagers”. He went on to assert that teenagers “need to get intrigued by issues like whether we can know anything, whether one might be a brain in a vat (or in the Matrix), whether we have free will, whether God’s existence can be proved, whether there is objectivity in aesthetics, ethics or indeed truth”.
At secondary school, there is an added onus on educators to ensure that the content remains accessible for as many students as possible
Like any subject, philosophy appeals to some and puts off others. Whether it appeals to you or not, its introduction at Junior Cycle should be considered a positive step by granting more people the opportunity to study it than was previously the case. What remains to be seen is how the subject of pure inquiry will fit into exam-oriented secondary education. However, art, the subject of pure imagination and creativity, has largely managed to meet those constraints.
As the state education system broadens its scope to include new subjects, it is this writer’s view that the addition of philosophy should be taken in good faith. At the least, it acknowledges different methods of learning and makes room for critical thinking.
