Fireside Chats for Inquisitive Minds

This is a virtual fireside chat philosophy class. It is an ongoing course for the inquisitive and thoughtful student who asks questions of the world around us. Education started with philosophy masters posing questions to their students. "Philosophy” comes from the Greek - “love of wisdom. Philosophy looks at the way we think about the world, the universe, and society. Given the rapid change in society, kids are growing up in a very different world from their parents and grandparents. Kids get a chance to ask questions and talk about the world they see around them. They can develop their minds through interaction with their peers without stress of assignments and examinations.

Each session will be 1 hour of discussion facilitated by the teacher. Students are expected to engage and respond to the philosophical questions posed by the teacher and respond to each other. It is a chat class so video on is preferred, but not required.

Students can register for any amount of classes they wish to do as each class is self-contained.

Topics will cover the main areas of philosophy using real world examples in an accessible manner including:

Metaphysics: The study of reality and nature of existence.
Epistemology: The theory of knowledge and what constitutes knowledge.
Ethics: Principles of right and wrong and morality.
Logic: The study of reasoning.
Aesthetics: The theory of the nature of art.

Pedagogy:
Facilitating open-ended and thoughtful dialogues about philosophical ideas by posing questions, reading stories, drawing, role-playing, creative writing, etc.

Topic Schedule so far:
Week 1 – Who are you? What makes you, You?
Week 2 - Time
Week 3 – Aesthetics - Art
Week 4 – Morality and Ethics
Week 5 – Children’s rights
Week 6 – Environmental Ethics
Week 7 – Ethics and Animal rights
Week 8 - What is love?