{"id":14212,"date":"2016-10-25T13:47:24","date_gmt":"2016-10-25T17:47:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/nwcenter\/?post_type=lessonplans&p=2443"},"modified":"2025-03-05T14:10:24","modified_gmt":"2025-03-05T22:10:24","slug":"what-is-philosophy","status":"publish","type":"teachertoolkit","link":"https:\/\/plato-philosophy.org\/teachertoolkit\/what-is-philosophy\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Philosophy?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction to Philosophy\/Making Arguments<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Materials<\/strong>:
\nTrue\/False handout for each student (see “Handout” below for specifics)
\nTwo signs, \u201cTrue\u201d and \u201cFalse,\u201d placed on opposite sides of the room<\/p>\n

At the start of class, ask students what they know about philosophy already. Call on a few students. If students need prompting, ask \u201cDo you know any philosophers? What does the word make you think of?\u201d etc.<\/p>\n

Once a few students have shared what they know about philosophy, give each student a handout with 13 true\/false statements about philosophy (see below). Students should complete the forms on their own. If they can\u2019t decide whether a particular statement is true or false, they should write about why that is. Give students about 5 minutes to read all the statements and complete the form.<\/p>\n

Then, put the “True” and “False” signs up on opposite sides of the room, in places where students can stand under or near both signs. Read one of the statements out loud and ask students to move to the side that represents their view. If a student says it is true that \u201cphilosophy is just about opinions,\u201d that student would move to the side of the room to stand under\u00a0the “True” sign. Students can also stay \u2018in the middle\u2019 if they can\u2019t decide. Ask at least two students from each side why they are standing where they are. Give students an opportunity to respond to each other\u2019s comments. Finally, let any students who have been convinced by the arguments of the other side move across the room.<\/p>\n

Continue through all 13 statements. Some might be more contentious than others. At the end, ask students to reflect in writing about what they think philosophy is, now that they\u2019re heard some possible reasons for believing various things about philosophy.<\/p>\n

HANDOUT<\/strong>
\nFor each statement, decide if it is true or false and write a T for true and an F for false next to the statement. If you can\u2019t decide whether a statement if true or false, use the lines at the bottom to write why you can\u2019t decide.<\/p>\n

______1) Philosophy doesn\u2019t apply to real life.<\/p>\n

______2) Philosophy is just about opinions.<\/p>\n

______3) Philosophy has been replaced by science.<\/p>\n

______4) There are no wrong answers.<\/p>\n

______5) Philosophy is about searching for truth.<\/p>\n

______6) Philosophy and science have clear boundaries.<\/p>\n

______7) Philosophy is about who can talk the loudest and\/or longest.<\/p>\n

______8) Philosophy started in Greece.<\/p>\n

______9) There are objective answers to moral questions.<\/p>\n

______10) If there might not be any objectively correct answers to moral questions, we should stop seeking answers.<\/p>\n

______11) Philosophy is different than religion.<\/p>\n

______12) Philosophy is different than science.<\/p>\n

______13) We can come up with objective answers in science, but not in philosophy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Introduction to Philosophy\/Making Arguments Materials: True\/False handout for each student (see “Handout” below for specifics) Two signs, \u201cTrue\u201d and \u201cFalse,\u201d placed on opposite sides of the room At the start of class, ask students what they know about philosophy already. Call on a few students. If students need prompting, ask \u201cDo you know any philosophers? … What is Philosophy?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2458,"template":"","toolkitcategory":[30,773,754],"gradelevel":[48],"topics":[417],"class_list":["post-14212","teachertoolkit","type-teachertoolkit","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","toolkitcategory-languages-literature","toolkitcategory-logic","toolkitcategory-philosophy","gradelevel-high-school-and-beyond","topics-philosophical-skills"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat is Philosophy? - PLATO - Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is Philosophy? - PLATO - Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Introduction to Philosophy\/Making Arguments Materials: True\/False handout for each student (see “Handout” below for specifics) Two signs, \u201cTrue\u201d and \u201cFalse,\u201d placed on opposite sides of the room At the start of class, ask students what they know about philosophy already. 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