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Fun Philosophy: Are You the Same Person Over Time? Can You Survive Teleporting?

An exciting intro to the Philosophy of Personal Identity using fun thought experiments ranging from Greek Ships to Teleporting Machines. We will explore what makes you YOU and examine what you hold most valuable about yourself!
Dr Pete PhD Earth Science Philosophy Geology
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:
(287)
Popular
Rising Star
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What's included

1 live meeting
50 mins in-class hours

Class Experience

US Grade 7 - 10
TOPICS COVERED: Philosophy of Personal Identity, Epistemology, Philosophy of Mind, John Locke, Hericlitus

The aim of my "Fun Philosophy" series of classes is to discuss the most interesting topics in Philosophy, because if we enjoy our first experiences of thinking, then this encourages kids to keep going (see my other class listing for examples). So this is a great way to get hooked on THINKING, by starting with an easily accessible and enjoyable topic. Kids can then use their new thinking SUPER POWERS in all different kinds of situations, from everyday decisions to doing well at school, to even just impressing our friends. No previous experience necessary, just a willingness to think about the topics introduced and to have some fun having your mind blown! (in a good way). I teach in the tradition of Western Analytical Philosophy, stemming from Ancient Greece to modern times, which means we focus on rational logical arguments and how to critically analyse them.

▬▬▬▬▬▬  CLASS SUMMARY  ▬▬▬▬▬
In this class we'll examine "Who we are". Do you identify with your body or are you more of a mind person? What if we transferred your brain into another body, is that still you? These are the sort of questions that we will discuss to help us with a fun wide ranging adventure, thinking about the Philosophy of Personal Identity. We'll look at a classic theory on this subject from the great Philosopher John Locke, before moving onto more modern theories to do with consciousness. Finally we'll conclude with some Teleporting variations, before making a choice between 3 different changes to yourself. Which one you choose will tell you a lot about what you value most about yourself. What ever happens we will learn a lot about ourselves and other people and have some fun along the way. You can even test your friends and family afterwards and see what they would choose.

▬▬▬▬▬▬  CLASS STYLE  ▬▬▬▬▬
I use PowerPoint presentations for all my classes, so I can mix text and multimedia and make the class more interesting. This class will be run using an "intro-discussion-repeat" format. This means I will take a few minutes to introduce a topic, usually via a fun easily accessible thought experiment, and then we will pause to discuss it briefly. Then we'll move on to the next related topic and another great thought experiment and pause for discussion after that one too. This means that you can enjoy the class however you like. Speak up and get involved in the discussions, or just listen and enjoy with no pressure. If you like this class then you can check out my other Fun Philosophy Courses, cherry picked to choose the most interesting, accessible and relevant philosophy subjects for kids, so they learn to enjoy thinking.

▬▬▬▬▬▬  LINKED TOPICS  ▬▬▬▬▬
Fun Philosophy: I Think Therefore I Am. Did Descartes Prove We Exist
Fun Philosophy: Does Our Evolution Control Us? Can Selfish Genes Allow Altruism?
Fun Philosophy: Morals and Should We Always Act for the Greater Good?

You can also take all six of my FUN PHILOSOPHY classes as a multi-day course:
Fun Intro to Philosophy: Knowledge, Metaphysics, Mind, Self, Evolution & Morals

Please see my class listings for more details!
Learning Goals
To think and learn without realising it, because you are having fun! By the end of the class students will be aware of the main arguments in the area of Philosophy of Personal Identity, such as P-Theoies and C-Theories. And will also have some fun thought experiments to freak their friends out with!
learning goal

Other Details

External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy is a well respected reviewed source of great introductions into all Philosophical Topic. There are also many follow on references at the bottom of each article. Wikipedia is also a good starting point, but is obviously less reliable as it is not peer reviewed. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy - https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/identity-personal/ Locke J. (1975) "An Essay Concerning Human Understanding" ed. P. Nidditch, Oxford: Clarendon Press - (original work, 2nd ed., first published 1694) Lowe E. J. (1996) "Subjects of Experience" Cambridge University Press Lowe E. J. (2005) "Locke" - Routledge Philosophers Hume D. (1739 [1978]) "Treatise of Human Nature" Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1978 Dainton B. (2005) - "Stream of Consciousness: Unity and Continuity in Conscious Experience" Routledge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_identity
Joined December, 2021
5.0
287reviews
Popular
Rising Star
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
Non-US Teaching Certificate in Secondary Education
Doctoral Degree from University of Nottingham
Master's Degree in Science from Imperial College London
Bachelor's Degree in Science from University of Bristol
I have a PhD in Philosophy and have taught this course may times - it's one of my favourites and the students all love it too.

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Live One-Time Class
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$18

per class
Meets once
50 min

Completed by 29 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 12-17
3-12 learners per class

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