Elective in Philosophy

Mrs. Sandra Sophiea-Fairmont

Dr. Stephen Esquith, MSU Department of Philosophy

The great American tradition of philosophical debate began at the Constitutional Convention, when our founding fathers used their minds to overcome their differences by thinking about the issues that mattered most to each other, and discussing them with respect.  The philosophy elective at Chippewa middle school encourages students to develop the skills necessary to think about issues that are already important to them, and issues that someday may become important. 

Working with Mrs. Sophiea, Dr. Esquith, and graduate students from the MSU Department of Philosophy, Chippewa students engage in daily discussion and debate about philosophical topics that are of particular interest.  They also get to solve logic puzzles throughout the term, which most students very much enjoy.

Topics in the past have included:

• How do you know whether you're dreaming or awake?

• What does it mean for something to be true?  What does it mean for something to be beautiful?

• What is a good argument?

• What are some bad ways to make an argument?

• How do arguments show up in advertisements, or on the news, or in your daily life?  Are they good arguments or bad arguments?

• Is there a difference between an opinion and an argument?

• Do you always need an argument to support your position, or are gut feelings sometimes enough?  How do you tell the difference?

• How do you know when to trust what other people say about the world?

• Are non-human animals more like rocks, or people? 

• Is it morally OK to eat animals?

• How do you know whether something is morally right or wrong?

• Should you always do what someone in authority tells you to do?

• Is there a difference between what is legally right, and what is morally right?

• Do olives taste the same to everybody?  Do we all share the same idea of what tastes good?  How can we experience the same kind of thing so differently, sometimes?

• Is pain the same thing as suffering?

• Is pain always bad?

• Why do some people think that there is no God?  Why do other people believe there is?

• What do you think about Pascal's wager, which says that you should believe in God because if there is no God, no harm has been done, and if there is a God, you are saved?

• If God is good, and all-powerful, and all-knowing, why does God allow pain and suffering to happen?

• Is child labor wrong?  Why or why not? 

• If you know something is wrong, do you have a duty to stop it?

• When someone does something wrong to another person, do they have to make up for it?  Can they?

• If Mr. Heinz's wife is very sick and needs medicine which is too expensive for them in order for her to live, would Mr. Heinz be justified in stealing the medicine for his wife, or is it always wrong to steal?  How do you figure out what to do when all your options seem to be wrong?

• Do you always tolerate other people's positions, no matter what they are?  When do you tolerate other people's disagreement, and when do you take a stand?  Can you do both? 

• Does it matter if two people who disagree both have good arguments to support their conflicting positions?

Discussion often stems from what the students, themselves, are concerned with.  The goal of this elective is to give students an opportunity to discuss what matters to them in a calm, controlled setting while learning new skills and questions to ask about issues that matter to many people.