Philosophy Course Research Articles

FEATURES OF TEACHING THE DISCIPLINE «PHILOSOPHICAL PROPAEDEUTICS» TO FUTURE MASTERS OF PHILOSOPHY

Аrticle emphasize philosophy as a special type of worldview arose as a response to the eternal need for man to expand the worldview, which is developing historically. Inherent inquisitiveness of people gradually grows into an intellectual need for limitless expansion and deepening of knowledge about the world, the human intellect tries to grasp the world with its mind in such angles that cannot be given by any experience, the intellect seeks to gain knowledge about the world as a holistic reality that a person must constantly take into account in forming programs of their behavior in society. The discipline «Philosophical propaedeutics» at the V. G. Korolenkо Poltava National Pedagogical University is taught to students of the second (master’s) level of higher education, specialty 033 Philosophy. The purpose of teaching the educational discipline «Philosophical propaedeutics» is to master the philosophical categorical toolkit, get acquainted with concepts and approaches, the specifics of the subject of philosophy, and the main philosophical problems. In the process of mastering the course «Philosophical propaedeutics», students must understand what is the specificity of philosophy, master its problematic field, understand the specifics of the philosophical knowledge of the world, understand the main categories, concepts and terms, on the one hand, and the principles and methods of knowledge, on the other hand. The course is also aimed at developing the skills of critical reading of propaedeutic philosophical literature, working with dictionaries, encyclopedias and other scientific literature, philosophical reflection and primary reasoning skills. The educational and professional program for the specialty «Philosophy» of the second (master’s) level of training defines a list of specific general and special competencies, as well as predicted learning outcomes that students must achieve as a result of studying this discipline. During the study of the course, the attention of applicants is drawn to the fact that philosophical propaedeutics is a preliminary cycle of lectures that acquaints young students (readers) with the peculiarities of philosophy as an educational discipline; It provides preparation for creative assimilation of the topics of the philosophy course and for independent study of philosophy. The task of philosophical propaedeutics is to prepare students (students, readers) for the transition from the level of their everyday worldview to the level of a theoretical worldview, from a chaotic worldview to a conscious worldview, from a worldview based on faith to a worldview based on evidence, which relies on reason.

A thought experiment for constructing a semiotic optimum in the classroom (based on the ethics lesson in the philosophy course)

A thought experiment for constructing a semiotic optimum in the classroom (based on the ethics lesson in the philosophy course)

Slavery's absence from histories of moral and political philosophy

AbstractAt a time when many institutions of higher learning are reflecting on their past complicity with chattel slavery, either in terms of the sources of their funding or their use of slave labor, philosophy as an academic discipline has been largely silent about its own complicity. Questions surrounding the legitimacy and practice of slavery were a regular part of moral philosophy courses at universities from the sixteenth century until its abolition. However, the discussions of slavery found in the dominant textbooks tended to be deeply conservative judged even by the standards of those times. This partly explains why after emancipation the many moral questions posed by slavery are barely mentioned in survey histories of ethics or of political philosophy today: this is a context in which academic philosophy does not show itself to its best advantage. The present article explores what academic philosophers need to do to redress the discipline's past failures, including its virtual silence about slavery since the Civil War. Given today's political environment, academic philosophers need to reflect on how the discipline in its institutional form functions within a system governed by the legacy of slavery and its aftermath.

G. H. von Wright on Logical Empiricism

Georg Henrik von Wright (1916–2003) started his studies in theoretical philosophy at the University of Helsinki in 1934. His teacher, Professor Eino Kaila (1890–1958), was an associate of the Vienna Circle who had changed the course of Finnish philosophy with his own version of logical empiricism. Under Kaila’s supervision, von Wright wrote his early studies on probability and defended his doctoral thesis The Logical Problem of Induction in 1941. Von Wright met Ludwig Wittgenstein in Cambridge in 1939 and 1947 and eventually became his successor there in 1948–1951. Later, von Wright characterized these two philosophers as his “father figures”: “Kaila had turned me into a logical positivist or empiricist. Wittgenstein, on the other hand, thoroughly eradicated this personality of mine.” This article studies von Wright’s changing relation to logical empiricism. The main sources include his correspondence with Kaila in 1937–1958 and his books Den logiska empirismen (in Swedish in 1943; in Finnish in 1945) and Logik, filosofi och språk (in Swedish in 1957, in Finnish in 1958). In his “Intellectual Autobiography” (1989), von Wright described the former book as “a farewell to the philosophy of my student years”. Wittgenstein’s influence can be seen in von Wright’s denial of the unity of science and his cool cultural pessimism as expressed in his critical essays. But it is also evident that logic and exact thinking continued to be central tools and ingredients of his subsequent and highly appreciated work as an analytic philosopher.

Focusing a history of modern philosophy course on freedom

AbstractThis article is on pedagogy; it is not a report on original research. It is a case study, seeking to spell out some implications for teaching History of Modern Philosophy (HMP). In past courses, I used a classic syllabus: Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Hume, and Kant, focusing on epistemology and metaphysics, telling the standard story of rationalists and empiricists, with Kant breaking the stalemate with his transcendental arguments. After a few times, for circumstantial reasons, I changed the focus of the course. Instead of telling the usual story, I would focus on freedom in its metaphysical, moral, and political dimensions. This had the effect of giving the philosophy majors enough metaphysics and epistemology to make them work hard, while appealing to (some of) the General Education students by relating the course materials to real world struggles. I figured that some people who could not relate to the technical discussion of substance, attribute, and mode might relate to struggles for freedom. I think I succeeded, as I will go on to recount.

Formation of conceptual representations of reality on the basis of reflective practice (research experience)

Introduction. The transition from ordinary perceptions of reality to conceptualized ones is a significant problem of philosophical education. The aim of this article is to identify the ways of this transition in the course of doctoral students' work with modern philosophical literature, to substantiate ontological and epistemological principles of understanding reality, and to summarize modern approaches to solving this problem. Materials and Methods. On the basis of teaching practice, which goes back to Socrates' Maieutic method, the principle of “pro et contra”, and substantially determined by the discussions of realists and anti-realists about the nature of reality, the ways of strengthening the discipline of judgment, improving the reflexive culture, clarifying the bases of one's own ideas about the world and formalizing them in a thoughtful system of judgments are revealed. The method of research into the formation of conceptual representations of reality involves analyzing the ways of transition from unconsidered opinions through the recognition of their insufficiency and unsatisfactoriness to such knowledge, which Plato called ‘theory’ (θεωρία), i.e. rationally constructed principles of analytics. In this methodological approach (communicative-competence - in the modern formulation), the very sequence of cognitive acts is important: from ordinary ‘naïve’ perceptions - to a clear understanding of the complexity of the problem - then to the formation of questions in the audience that lead beyond a surface view of reality - and to the possible conceptual coherence and validity of perceptions of reality. Results. In the course of History and Philosophy of Science for doctoral students, the author proposed and justified the use of a three-level construct of moving from everyday representations of reality to conceptually meaningful ones. At the first level it was proposed to give an intuitive definition of the concept of ‘reality’; at the second level to analyze it, relying on sources from among those recommended by the lecturer or chosen independently, then briefly formulate the essence of realistic and anti-realistic approaches and identify the logic of one of them, and at the third level to move to the opposite position and present the relevant arguments. The author summarized the results of this procedure, which includes critical overcoming of ordinary statements about the nature of reality and dialogue between opposite conceptual solutions to the problem, and substantiated that such practice gives the effect of “awakened consciousness” and becomes the basis for readiness to conduct an internal dialogue on complex philosophical problems. Conclusions. The skills of reality analysis presented in the article develop and improve the reflexive practice of young researchers, clarify the basis of their own perceptions of the world, formalize them in a reasoned and critically elaborated system of judgments, and form their readiness to solve complex problems in science and philosophy.

Strategic Learning in Philosophy through Managing Unorganized Information using CTU552-EAC

Globalisation is experiencing the development of a modern educational system, which poses significant challenges to today's generation. With the spread of technology, digital information storage was introduced, especially in the COVID-19 period, as opposed to the early environment of face-to-face education. In addition, the Covid-19 epidemic, which struck at the end of 2019, has hampered the country's education system. This situation allows the dissemination and reception of knowledge to be carried out virtually. Without proper planning, it will be difficult to present information because of the constraints allowing students to learn face-to-face. The purpose of the study is (1) to investigate the relationship between content and learning (LC), from the management of unorganised information to websites CTU552-EAC (WC), course information (CI), slides and videos (SV), and online games (OG); and (2) To examine students' perceptions of managing unorganised information on the CTU552-EAC website for philosophy courses. This quantitative study was conducted using questionnaire-based surveys. Google Forms is used to conduct online surveys with research participants. Quantitative research investigated students' perceptions of asynchronous learning. A survey of CTU552 students at the Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Johor Kampus Segamat received 287 responses. The researchers themselves created a questionnaire. There are 27 items with five dimensions: a student's view of the EAC-CTU552 website, course information, learning engagement, course information, slides and videos. The study tested the correlations of course information (CI), slides and videos (SV), online games (OG), CTU552-EAC (WC), and learners to content (LC) using Spearman correlations. There is a positive correlation between each variable. Students will react positively to the course information, slides and videos, online games and the CTU552-EAC website provided by the lecturer on the central platform CTU552.

O Ensino da Filosofia nas Instituições do ensino fundamental e universitário angolanos: da utilidade à essencialidade

This article addresses the pressing issue of the essential importance of teaching Philosophy, often questioned for its utility, especially in the Angolan educational context. It emphasizes the urgent need to implement Philosophy courses to educate academically prepared professionals. Under the auspices of contemporary philosophers such as Imbamba, Valentim, Pondé, and others, this article argues that, despite utilitarian societies, Philosophy provides crucial skills such as critical and argumentative thinking, essential for shaping reflective citizens. It is imperative to analyze the relevance of teaching Philosophy in Angolan institutions, considering the challenges faced by teachers. Furthermore, the teaching of Philosophy is not an academic luxury but a crucial necessity for the intellectual and ethical development of all citizens. The importance of Philosophy as a discipline dedicated to promoting essential skills, such as analysis, criticism, and argumentation, crucial for democratic societies, should be highlighted. In the face of the devaluation of the Humanities, especially Philosophy, it is opportune to appeal to public administrators to humanize Angola by integrating humanistic courses into curricula, aiming to educate not only qualified professionals but also conscious and engaged citizens. Philosophy, ipso facto, is presented as a possible "salvation" for the new youth, providing a space for existential questioning amidst an educational system often marked by commercialism and a lack of academic merit.

THE CONSTITUTION OF THE PHILOSOPHY COURSE AT THE CAICÓ CAMPUS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF RIO GRANDE DO NORTE

This article aims to show highlight the significanceof the Philosophy Course in the Seridó Region tracing its evolution from inception to the present day. Initially, it addresses the creation of the course, exploring the contexts and motivations for its establishment. Subsequently, the integration of the course within the structure of the State University of Rio Grande do Norte (UERN) and its reception by the institution are discussed. The outcomes achieved by the first class are also evaluated, considering the resulting academic and social impacts. Moreover, the paper examines the current challenges faced by the course. The methodology employed includes a bibliographic approach, supplemented by quantitative and qualitative research methods, providing a detailed and comprehensive analysis.

The resources related to the CPC's heritage of the "Little Long March" are used to raise students' awareness of courses on political philosophy teaching in colleges and universities

Raising students' awareness is an important goal of the teaching reform of courses on political philosophy in colleges and universities. Resources related to the heritage of the Communist Party of China (CPC or Party) have rich revolutionary cultural connotations, carry the spiritual state of firm ideals and beliefs, and show the glorious course of the CPC in leading the Chinese people to continuously realize their aspiration for a better life. Among them, the "Little Long March" resources related to the Party's heritage of the Seventh Army of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army are a typical representative. Raising students' awareness with the resources related to the Party's heritage of the "Little Long March" has become an important path for the teaching reform of courses on political philosophy in colleges and universities. However, in order to give full play to the role of the "Little Long March" resources related to the Party's heritage in raising students' awareness, it is necessary to have the support of basic conditions such as academic research support, the creation of a suitable spatial environment, and a team of teachers who have firmly faith in science. Ideological and political teachers integrate the resources related to the Party's heritage of the "Little Long March" into the teaching of political philosophy courses in colleges and universities by mastering scientific theories, correctly interpreting the resources related to the Party's heritage of the "Little Long March", guiding students to carry forward our revolutionary traditions in the process of understanding and telling the revolutionary story of the "Little Long March", and nourishing the spiritual "calcium" of teachers and students in the process of field investigation of the historical resources of the "Little Long March".

Islamisk teologi och filosofi vid Uppsala universitet

This article describes the development that led to the appointment of a professor in Islamic Theology and Philosophy at the Faculty of Theology, Uppsala University, and, at a later stage, to a renewed understanding of Systematic Theology, with two orientations: (1) Worldview Studies and Christian Theology and (2) Islamic Theology. The point of departure is earlier theoretical and methodological considerations by the authors concerning Islamic theology in a contemporary Nordic university setting. Mikael Stenmark was later to become the Dean of the Faculty of Theology, between 2008 and 2014, and during that period new courses in Islamic Theology and Philosophy were designed and Professor Mohammad Fazlhashemi was hired to lead the development of Islamic Theology and Philosophy. This is described in the first section of the article. In the following sections, the academic discipline in which Islamic Theology later was to be integrated, Systematic Theology, is described historically and theoretically in view of the broader work with rethinking the disciplinary structure of the Faculty of Theology during the period when Mattias Martinson was Dean, between 2014 and 2020. The article concludes with a reflection on the current situation and an outlook towards the challenges that a commitment to Islamic Theology entails at a Northern European state university.

Ο Ιάκωβος Αργείος (ca 1660-1736) στην Πατριαρχική Σχολή

Iakovos Argeios (ca 1660-1736) at the Patriarchal Academy of Constantinople. New evidence and answers for an old riddle
 Research into the history of the Patriarchal Academy at the beginning of the 18th century has been primarily based on the works of Manuel Gedeon and Tasos Gritsopoulos. These two historians have recorded and reconstructed all the testimonies and information they had gathered about the operation of the Academy. However, the sources at their disposal were extremely scarce for this period in terms of teachers, such as Iakovos Argeios (1660-1736), on whom the present study focuses, and their teaching activities at the School. The aim of this article is to present the new data which emerged from the identification and study of unknown manuscripts as well as from the study of the scholar’s personal correspondence. These facts militate against Tasos Gritsopoulos’ dominant view that Iakovos was exclusively a home teacher of the Mavrokordatos’family and that his teaching career at the Patriarchal Academy was limited in time (i.e. confined in the years 1707-1715).In this study I examine and reconstruct all the existing testimonies and evidence that I found on the life and work of Iakovos Argeios, “the supreme of the Great Church philosophers”. Through these new data it becomes possible to study and trace the career of Iakovos Argeios at the Patriarchal Academy from the mid-1680s until his death (1736). Iakovos was initially a student in the philosophy course of the Academy (1684), when Antonios Spantones was a professor of philosophy. He completed his studies around 1686/87 and he attracted the interest of his teachers and of the Grand Dragoman Alexandros Mavrokordatos. He subsequently served as tutor to the Mavrokordatos’ family (since the beginning of the 1690s) for at least 20-25 years, while almost at the same time he was appointed professor of rhetoric at the Academy. As a prominent professor he delivered two encomiastic addresses to the Ecumenical Patriarchs Kallinikos II (1698) and Gabriel II (1703).Then, probably in 1702, he was appointed Academy’s headmaster and professor of philosophy. He taught rhetoric theory and practise and Aristotelian philosophy from the textbooks of Theophilos Korydalleus, as evidenced by the manuscripts of his students presented in this article, mainly Antonios Byzantios, Nikolaos Kritias and Azarias Tzigalas: Physics, Logic, On the Soul, On generation and corruption. He also received from the Patriarchate the highly-esteemed office of the “supreme of thephilosophers” (around 1707-1709), through Mavrokordatos’ intervention, as a recognition of his philosophical expertise. He retained this title and remained head of the Academy until the end of his life. From his letters we know that Iakovos was present in Methodios Anthrakites’ conviction (1723). He supported in deeds and words the efforts of Silvestros, the Patriarch of Antioch, to establish a Greek and Christian seminary in Aleppo (1724-1726). Unfortunately, the last years of his life were painful due to health problems and the ingratitude of his old friends. Iakovos found solace only in teaching at the Academy and in correspondence with his dear friends and old students, such as Makarios Kalogeras, who had founded a school on the island of Patmos. For the teachers and students of the School of Patmos, Iakovos was their mentor and spiritual guide. In conclusion, Iakovos Argeios had an important influence on the course of the Patriarchal Academy with his long lasting and constant teaching activity. In his time the Patriarchal Academy became a true “Faculty of Philosophy”.

Teaching Philosophy at Kharkiv University in the 19th — Early 20th Century (according to students’ recollections)

The article highlights the peculiarities of teaching philosophy at Kharkiv University in the 19th and early 20th according to students’ recollections. Gaining this historical experience will contribute to solving the urgent problems of optimising humanities courses in higher education today. It is found out that Kharkiv University became the centre of development of philosophical science in Ukraine. Through the efforts of public figures, it was possible to invite Johann Schad, a graduate of the German school, to become a professor of the newly created Department of Speculative and Practical Philosophy. His efforts to develop the department and the progressive views of the academic staff alarmed the authorities resulting in the formation of a faculty subservient to the regime, decrease in the level of teaching of philosophical disciplines, and subsequently, the dissolution of the Department of Philosophy. The main emphasis in the professional training of students is placed on historical disciplines, primarily the study of Russian history. It was only in the 1870s that Kharkiv University was able to provide its students with a proper philosophical education. The analysis of students’ recollections of the institution shows the popularity of philosophy courses and the respect of students for the teaching staff. At the beginning of the twentieth century, with the permission of the government, student clubs were established. Unfortunately, the level of popularity of philosophical circles was low due to the chauvinistic views of their leaders. Nevertheless, it was found that thanks to the efforts of the academic staff of Kharkiv University, Ukrainian philosophical thought is being formed and popularised abroad.

Skill Building in Large Classes

Skill building is a widely recognized teaching goal in philosophy. Some well-researched skill building techniques include scaffolded assignment design, low-stakes assignments, and peer-review. Many papers have highlighted the efficacy of these techniques by demonstrating novel course and assignment design; for example, the use of blogging in philosophy courses has been shown to have positive results on student writing. While the efficacy of skill building centered course design on student learning seems uncontroversial, two major problems are typically raised: the time investment for such course design is significant and implementing these techniques in large classes is not possible. The central aim of this paper is to combat this second claim. I present a course designed around skill building that has been successfully implemented in classes of from 120 to 450 students. I show some techniques that make this implementation possible and not unwieldy, and I argue that students both improved their philosophical skills and enjoyed the course design.

An Argument for Zine-Writing in Introduction to Philosophy Courses in advance

An Argument for Zine-Writing in Introduction to Philosophy Courses in advance

Fundação Marxista e desenvolvimento histórico: interpretação e prática na nova era da china

Abstract: Professor Chen Xianda’s required course of Marxist Philosophy in the new era interprets the theory of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era theoretically, and tells people the Marxist philosophical basis of the theory of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era in a simple way. He wants to teach people to comprehensively and deeply understand the theory of socialism with new era characteristics on the basis of reading the original, learning it and understanding the principles, so as to better lead the practice. Among them, “learning to understand” requires leading cadres to accurately understand the logic system and theoretical origin of the socialist theory in the new era, and to enter the mind into the heart into the action. “Getting through” requires leading cadres to accurately grasp the theoretical logic, the historical one and practical logic of the thought in the new era, and to learn to examine the problems faced in the process of socialist construction from the perspective of the whole and development. “Being realistic” is required that the theory of leading cadres should be combined with practice, and the socialist thought, with Chinese characteristics in the new era, should be carried out and implemented in the specific work of this region and this department.

«Вправність і відповідальність мислення: філософський курс для учнів середньої і старшої школи»

Report on the implementation of the philosophy for children project “Dexterity and responsibility of thinking: a philosophical course for middle and high school studentsˮ, supported by the Sententiae community.

Grounded collaborative learning: on the misperceived relevance of philosophy in Africa

ABSTRACT Given a peculiar sociocultural pressure for knowledge to reap immediate socioeconomic benefits in Africa, philosophy courses have gained a very low valuation by African students. They misperceive the courses not to be relevant to their future careers, leading to a lack of engagement with the courses. Focusing on South Africa, this paper proffers one way to bridge this relevance gap. The central claim is that this perceived irrelevance is fuelled by the construction of philosophy course syllabi solely from the instructor’s perspective, such that the relevance gap is bridged by including African students’ perspectives.

Is It Possible Not to Teach Philosophy?

Knowledge of philosophy is commonly imparted in various philosophy courses, and the teaching process may take multiple forms, ranging from a historical overview to interdisciplinary approaches. However, the theoreticians of education across different subjects and disciplines often turn to philosophy, and they adopt some philosophical assumptions about their field to set up warranted goals and methods of teaching, delineate subject matter, and identify skills they hope to impart. Due to this process involving lengthy theoretical discussions and intellectual exchanges, teachers pass on specific philosophical attitudes even if they are not explicitly teaching philosophy. This paper examines an intersection between history education and philosophy in particular. The focus is on philosophical theories of history that history educators directly address. The paper navigates a specific roadmap portraying the development of the philosophical approaches to the knowledge of the past, discusses diverging traditions, and shows their potential contribution to reaching educational goals.

Вузовская философия сегодня: взгляд преподавателя

The article is devoted to the analysis of the current situation in the field of teaching philosophy in non-core (non-philosophical) areas of study. The article consists of two parts. The first part is a brief overview of the transformations that philosophy teaching has undergone in the post-Soviet period: in addition to analyzing the substantive and methodological transformations of the university philosophy course, changes in attitudes and educational practices used by teachers to introduce students to philosophical knowledge, various strategies for teaching philosophy are also considered. The second part examines the work programs regulating the teaching of this discipline, assesses the degree of their methodological and substantive innovation (compared with the previous Soviet period).