Kindless Philosophy

 Do Teachers Care About Truth? : Epistemological Issues for Education Problems with Truth “Teachers have many problems, but it might seem that worries about the nature of truth or knowledge are not among them. Curiosity may be innate, but it is not given to many of us to wonder whether  some of the answers we are given are more reliable than others, or to puzzle over what is involved in something being true. We may ask questions but on the whole we are avid swallowers of answers; the  habit of sorting out better from worse answers and of wondering what makes a good answer has not marked a large part of human history, even in literate societies. It is probably less common than  we like to imagine even in our own practice. Even so, teachers do sometimes have to face questions about truth and knowledge because in our societies the problematic nature of at least some sorts of belief is widely recognized. It is easy to come upon serious difficulties once we begin to refle...

Fraternity   “ In section 4 of Chapter 2 we noted a wide range of ideas connected with a broad notion of fraternity which often appeared in the rhetoric, and indeed sometimes the argument, supporting mixed ability grouping. We suggested there that this cluster of ideas, though often confiated with ideas of equality and social justice, was actually about something else more to do with a positive valuing of social integration and feelings of community as things to be approved of in their ownright. Thus, as we pointed out, segregation of pupils into groups based upon specific abilities was seen by some teachers as deplorable, not solely because such differentiation represented the injustice of unjustifiably different treatment, but simply because it acted to support social divisiveness and against the possibility of social cohesiveness and mutually supportive cooperation. Sometimes this idea is part of a wider sociopolitical spectrum in which presentday society is seen as damagingly c...

 Justice and Equality “In Chapter 2 we noted that different views of mixed ability grouping can often be seen to reflect attachment to different social principles, particularly to principles of justice and equality. In this chapter the intention is to examine rather more closely ideas of justice and equality and to see if any justifiable connection can be made between justice and/or equality on the one hand and mixed ability grouping on the other. The word 'justifiable' is worth emphasising since we do not find the problem of justification normally pursued as far as it might be in the available literature discussing possible rationales for mixed ability grouping. It is one thing to note, as we have done, the various ways in which views about mixed ability grouping appear to be rooted in ideas of justice and equality; it is quite another thing to present justifications for either the connections or the underlying ideas, and when such justificatory arguments are offered they are ...

 Respecting Each Child as an Individual of Equal Worth “Mixed ability teaching takes place when a teacher tries to regulate his treatment of individual differences by the principle of equality. (Elliott, 1976, p. 4)” (17) A disadvantage of mixed ability grouping is that teachers are unable to effectively meet the needs of each student. However, mixed ability grouping requires appropriate ‘coordination’ by teachers. This is because this educational method aims to provide equality of opportunity to all students. Consideration of Equality of Opportunity All humans have human rights, both innate and acquired. An equal society does not end only with metaphysical discussions. Charles Darwin wrote to colonial administrators and missionaries around the world asking whether native peoples of Africa and other regions blushed with shame, initiating the first systematic study of their cultures. The results of this anthropological study led those to assume that the shame response, which is an a...

Adolescence and Youth identity Cognitive psychology considers the human adolescent period to be truly important. The human brain becomes stable after adolescence, but the synaptic network strengthens or dies depending on learning and experience. This process is called ‘pruning’. About half of the synapses formed in early childhood are pruned during adolescence. This highlights how important the influence of the environment is in the process of human development. It means, it would not be an exaggeration to say that education during adolescence determines almost everything about one's future life. From Aristotle's virtue theory, a happy human life lies in “unity of virtue and action.” Even adolescents can enjoy a happy life. This kind of happy life should be based on the harmony of purpose and means at that period.  ‘Education’; the flesh of the world “ou si tout rapport de moi à l'Être jusque dans la vision, jusque dans la parole, n'est pas un rapport charnel, avec la c...