In embracing the new Junior Cycle curriculum we are offering our first year students a short course in philosophy. This 100 hour short course provides an engaging introduction to philosophy at second level. It aims to engage students in philosophical enquiry and dialogue about life’s big questions and to develop critical, creative, collaborative, caring thinkers who can participate in informed discourse and act in the world in a more reflective manner.
Philosophers ask big juicy questions about who we are, what we know, and what we should value. In many respects philosophy is less a body of knowledge and more a way of seeing the world – including an ability to define and articulate concepts, identify assumptions, and think critically, analytically, and self-reflexively about our beliefs. It is an invitation to enquire. Philosophers recognise that philosophical questions can be difficult to answer but that doesn’t mean there is no answer (it may even mean we need to shift or modify the question). Doing philosophy is about learning to articulate thoughts, providing justifications for them, and finding ways of disagreeing without being discourteous!
Philosophy encourages open and reasoned dialogue between people. It involves questioning the world around us. Philosophy challenges our assumptions, whatever they may be, and thereby deepens our understanding. This process is different from mere "debating" which involves convincing others of one's argument, whether or not that argument is based in reason. Rather, philosophical dialogue is not just about exposing flaws in argumentation; through thoughtful deliberation philosophers aim to shed new light on the big ideas and key concepts that have helped to shape civilisation and continue to inform our values and the way we live.
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