Philosophy Discussion Club - Learners Help Choose the Topics!

In this club, learners and I meet once per week to explore a wide range of philosophical topics, including ethics, art, metaphysics, epistemology (i.e., knowledge), and more. 

Because each of these topics is quite broad, let me give you a better idea of some of the specific topics that might be (and have been) covered in our discussions:

Ethics: 
When we say that an action is right or wrong, what do we actually mean?
What matters more in ethics, the consequences of a behavior or the intentions behind it?
Are there any exceptionless moral principles?
What are the highest values in life?
Are there universal moral facts or is morality merely a matter of personal preference?

Art: 
Is beauty objective or subjective?
Is AI-generated art actually art?
Why do we have emotional reactions to fictional characters when we know they don't exist?
Should we separate the art from the artist or does an artist's life and personality matter to our appreciation of their art?

Metaphysics:
Is it possible that we are living in a simulation?
Do the past and future exist? Does time itself exist or is it an illusion?
Do we have free will?
Do non-physical things, such as souls, spirits, ghosts, and other immaterial entities, exist?

Epistemology:
How do we know when we know something?
What kinds of evidence are the most reliable? Which are the least reliable?
Is absolute certainty about anything possible?

Again, these are just examples. The possibilities are limitless. In fact, the beauty of our club is that it is learner-driven at nearly every level. For example, learners are free to suggest discussion topics for upcoming meetings. As long as the suggested topic is age-appropriate and philosophical, I will add it to the schedule. If a learner requests a topic I am unfamiliar with, no problem. I will spend the week(s) leading up to class researching and thinking about the topic, and then craft a custom plan for introducing and discussing it with learners. Not only do learners have agency over the subjects of our conversations, they can also contact me on Outschool leading up to our meetings to suggest specific talking points and questions they would like incorporated into our discussions. Finally, learners are encouraged to share their thoughts and questions at all stages of our discussions.

For the first few weeks of each section, we will discuss the following topics:

Week 1 (Jan 7, 2025): The Ship of Theseus - A Puzzle about Gradual Change
Week 2 (Jan 14, 2025): Reality - Is It Possible We Are in a Simulation?
Week 3 (Jan 21, 2025): Beauty - Objective or Subjective?
Week 4 (Jan 28, 2025): Hedonism - Is Happiness Most Important?

By the time we get through the first four weeks, my hope is that learners will be inundating me with topic suggestions. If they are, awesome! If not, no big deal. I'll continue selecting the topics each week until I start getting requests.

Given the wide range of topics we'll cover, each week will look a little different. That being said, most meetings follow (roughly) the same format. I start each meeting with a brief presentation of the week's topics. This usually involves clarifying key concepts, providing examples to focus our discussion, and sketching some theories learners may find interesting. This usually takes 5-10 minutes. We then transition into class discussion by way of an interesting philosophical puzzle, question, or thought experiment. Once everyone has had a chance to weigh in on our opening puzzle, question, or thought experiment, I introduce new material. This could involve outlining a new theory, presenting arguments from famous philosophers, drawing attention to a new angle on the question at hand, or switching to a new sub-topic and set of questions. This pattern continues until the end of our time together each week: introduce new material --> turn it over to the class for discussion --> introduce new material --> turn it over to the class for discussion...and so on.

In all of our discussions, I encourage habits of collaborative reasoning, critical thinking, respectful disagreement, and active listening. Learners can expect to hear and engage with a variety of alternative viewpoints (from me and their peers) each week. By that same token, learners can expect ample (and immediate) feedback on their own ideas and theories. Finally, learners will quickly learn that when we "get philosophical" about our topics, our primary focus is not merely the ideas under discussion, but moreso the reasons to accept (or reject) a given theory or argument. In this vein, I always encourage learners to not just state their opinions, but to also explain why they think what they think. Once we've laid the reasons for our beliefs on the table in this way, we can then begin to see how the pieces of our reasoning fit together, and thereby better understand each other's thoughts on a given topic.  

In the classroom, I aim for maximum inclusiveness. I take every learner and their ideas seriously. I lead these discussions mainly because I want to help young people learn to organize their thoughts and ideas to the best of their abilities, and then communicate their views clearly and confidently to others. These are uniquely powerful skills that will benefit learners wherever life takes them outside of my classroom.

Generally speaking, I employ a friendly version of the Socratic method. The method is Socratic in that I ask plenty of questions about learners' ideas. For example, I often ask learners to provide examples to illustrate their more abstract thoughts. If something doesn't quite sound right, I ask for clarification. If a learner is thoroughly convinced of something, I may raise common objections to their view and ask how they might respond to such objections. If a learner's views are a bit muddled or they are having trouble expressing themselves, I may try to summarize their view as I understand it, and ask them to tell me what I got right and what I got wrong. And so on. 

My method is a *friendly* version of the Socratic method because all of my questions are aimed at helping learners organize their thinking so they can arrive at the best version of their ideas and be open and able to respond to challenges.