Teaching Philosophy
in
Schools
By Bernard Youngman
2003 The Editor adds:
The Philosophical Society of England has advocated both the use of philosophical material, and perhaps more importantly, philosophical methods in schools, a prominent strand in its history since the 1930s. We reprint from the archives Bernard Youngman's 1952 assessment of the task of a philosophical education, a task he bases on Bible study and describes as part of leading the young untutored mind towards love of wisdom and knowledge. The teacher, he warns, "must value freedom of thought and revere independence of mind; he must at all times be as Plato so succinctly put it - midwife to his pupils' thoughts."
How Mr Youngman combined this duty with his other one, also hinted at, of bringing the young to the realisation that Christianity is the 'highest' form of philosophy is part of the challenge. And there are other responsibilities too, of course.
In Ecclesiastes there is bitterness and cynicism enough to challenge any adolescent; there is clearly an attitude of sheer materialism, and the writer is devastatingly frank in his statements God, he says, is far away, and not interested in the world or the people in it; He allows evil to flourish all is vanity! Man is just the victim of chance and time. But, he adds, have a good time while the going is good. Here is an almost modern pessimism, and a small dose of this philosophy is probably quite sufficient for the average adolescent. (Most 'Agreed Syllabuses' recommend chapters xi and xii as being enough.)But the great thing to remember, he concludes, "is that the work must be theirs - by search, preparation, explanation, drama, brains trust, question and answer, project, exploration, study - NOT the teacher's, by chalk and talk!"
(Abridgement of the Thesis has necessitated some generalisations)
As Headmaster of a large Secondary School I feel I should put on record some possible methods and levels of practical approach to the teaching of Philosophy in what are generally known as the Fifth and Sixth Forms of both Grammar and Secondary Modern Schools, indeed, in all schools where adolescents come under the guidance of teachers whose personal philosophies may range from the cynical to the mystic! It is our duty to help boys arid girls sec the wisdom of the ages, understand its influence upon man and his experiences, examine the reasons for its acceptance or its rejection - and the consequences, and in some way implant a desire for each one to discover within himself the answer to the questions:
"What is Man?"
and especially,
"Why am I here?"
Einstein has asked, "What is the meaning of human life?" It may not take a great scientist to answer that for adolescents but it will help them if they can he given some idea of approach to and analysis and assessment of the various answers they may conceive or discover. In the words of the motto of the Philosophical Society, they will need "wisdom to direct, knowledge to govern'. There is precious little of either wisdom or knowledge in the world as they see it. The common philosophy is too often one of "something for nothing", "help yourself'', "the devil take the hindmost" "eat, drink and be merry . . ." The adolescent is bewildered by the gulf between the world as he sees it and the world that he would like to believe in. The cruel catastrophic plunge from classroom to factory shatters his wavering faith in anything ethically and doctrinally sound, and his new philosophy quickly takes on a mercenary aspect that is reflected in the attraction of the pay-packet: with disillusionment come the "so-what?" and "I couldn't care less" attitudes to the very things that his teachers had hoped he would learn to honour and respect.
What is it, then, that we wish to do for our adolescents? lt is, surely, to help them to love wisdom and knowledge, so that in the acquiring of them they may "see life steadily and see it whole." Socrates was asked by Glaucon, "Who are the true Philosophers?" and replied, "Those who are lovers of the vision of truth." It is just that vision, of however fleeting a glimpse, that we must try to reveal. It may appear, for them, in some attempt at investigating life as it is - critically and disinterestedly; it may lead to a dedicated search as sacred as that for the Holy Grail.
There are practical matters for consideration, however, in that we cannot guarantee a full course of Philosophy for any of these adolescents. Many of them leave school soon after they are fifteen; some stay on for one, possibly two and rarely three terms longer; even in the Grammar and Independent Schools there is a tendency for them to leave at sixteen. This state of affairs means little time for either Divinity or Philosophy. However, let us not be defeated by this; rather let us accept the challenge and plan the more carefully our teaching of Philosophy through the lesson in Divinity, Scripture, Religious Instruction, or whatever else it is called on the time-table. When can this be done - and How? As to "When?" - it can and should be done at least in the first term of the last year at school; in this way, all the class will receive guidance for a term and a few will be helped for the year. "How" is the crux of this paper.
First let us be clearly aware of the nature of the Philosophy of Religion, then we shall not confuse it with Theology. Theology presents systematically the teaching of historical religion as it relates to the existence and attributes of a Supreme Be