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Sunday, February 4, 2024
Philosophy is often taught in a combative way: a student is taught to “defend” or “attack” arguments and “win” them, as if truth is a battle trophy. This pedagogical model might succeed in exciting some students about philosophy, but it alienates others, who might develop in response to it what Socrates called a “misology” or hatred of reason. What if instead the search for philosophical truth is treated as a communal activity, truth as something the members of a classroom achieve cooperatively? In this session, I will share my experiments in my own classrooms—and together we will walk through a philosophical question ourselves, so we can experience this type of communal activity.
Courtney is an Associate Professor of Philosophy and the Philosophy Program Director at United States Military Academy at West Point. She specializes in the history of philosophy, particularly Kant. She has published articles in journals including The History of Philosophy Quarterly, the Journal of the Philosophy of Education, and Teaching Philosophy.