Thinking Beyond The Curriculum
Read More“if my utterly inconsequential change of capitalisation could not be easily noted and assimilated into the understanding of work colleagues, friends or family, then I could barely imagine what it would be for a far more important identity marker to be so similarly ignored“
Read More“One student was obviously unconvinced, and remained incredulous that I was advocating a world without punishment. The last question of the night saw them ask: “what would you want to happen then if someone right now, god forbid, ran to the stage and shot you dead? What would you want to happen to them?“
Read More“We realised that there was a big, and unjustifiable, leap that has been made to get from the starting assumption of needing a uniform to the end conclusion that children need to be dressing up everyday like businesspeople from a bygone age. That even if you wanted to justify the idea of enforcing a uniform, you needed to go a long way further from that to justify the bizarre uniforms most schools actually make their poor students wear.“
Read More“This week’s Philosophy Unleashed presents a very simple argument…“
Read More“I am interested in the question of whether the practical compromises economies necessarily demand on our actions are, in fact, immoral, and whether such immorality makes these economies not only unfit for purpose, but unfit to such a capacity that we actually have a moral duty to replace them?“
Read More“conspiracy thinking - the initial pathway that leads to conspiracy answers - trades on many of the motivating assumptions of philosophy as an activity: a desire to get to some underlying hidden truth beyond the superficial understanding of everyday life.“
As usual, Philosophy Unleashed will take a break during the school summer holidays because I believe very strongly in having a work/life balance. There’s also 160 past PU posts for you to read between now and September, so it’s not like I’m leaving you without any Philosophy Unleashed until then. However, I do feel slightly bad this year because, having now joined the ranks of the independent schools, my summer is starting about three weeks earlier than usual. Three weeks before summer begins in the state sector. So while I will remain on hiatus until September 11th because, like it or not, I am on holiday now, I do so leaving you with the ethical question of whether it is right that private schools get longer holidays than state schools? Is there any good reason that they do, or any compelling reason why they shouldn’t? Feel free to write me a PU post of your own about it, or send in a post about any philosophically interesting issue, HERE. As always: I’d love more student contributions to this website. It shouldn’t be all me!
If you do want more me though, and miss my writing, remember my new book, Anarchist Atheist Punk Rock Teacher is out now everywhere. Check out what my publisher has to say about it HERE.
I’ll see you all in September!
Read More“This week I’m doing something a little different on Philosophy Unleashed and releasing a lecture I gave last week to Year 12 students at a Sixth Form interdisciplinary conference on the theme of inequality…“
Read More“Like garbage washing up on the shore of a polluted sea, the Philosophy classroom is often where a lot of these deepities come to rest as students, impressed by their apparent wisdom, share them with the one person they think will be equally impressed: their Philosophy teacher. Often those students are soon disappointed, even angry, when that teacher is not impressed at all and, instead, pops the bubble of the illusion and exposes its emptiness.“
Read More“I had some interesting conversations with students this week about first principles. How, once you unpack the thing you are talking about you might realise that you no longer believe what you thought you did, or might even be having a different conversation entirely…“
Read More“Any time we approach an area of education with an attitude of it being too difficult or even impossible for someone to do something, we make it so through a process of self-fulfilling-prophecy.“
Read More“I used to think it was the clowns who were the real heroes - speaking truth to power about the absurdity of power and mocking those in authority with satire and parody. But nowadays I think it might be the magicians.“
Is the memoir of DaN McKee's twelve years as a conflicted Philosophy and Religious Studies teacher out June 16th on Earth Island Books!
It not only contains some highlights from the last four years of Philosophy Unleashed, but shows how anarchist philosophy, atheism and a background in DIY punk rock has influenced and shaped DaN's approach to the classroom, as well as his approach to life.
As the blurb says: "'Anarchist Atheist Punk Rock Teacher' is more than just a memoir of some teacher you've never met. It is philosophy of education, of anarchism, of authenticity, and of life. Throw in some personal history, the deaths of both of his parents to deal with on top of juggling all the professional absurdities that come with the job (not to mention having to teach through a global pandemic), and you have all the earmarks of a biographical classic."
If you want to pre-order it directly from the publisher, do so here. If you want to pre-order it from Amazon, do so here. It's available in both paperback and as an eBook.
Believe it or not schools are on holiday again - it feels like the Easter break was only yesterday and yet, at the same time, it feels like it was months ago. We are, as humans, the worst judges of time. We’ll be back with all-new Philosophy Unleashed next week (June 5th). Until then - check out our archives or write something for us yourself!
Read More“Philosophers might ask: if value changes all the time, is there really such a thing as value at all? If we can’t pin it down - define it - then is it really anything? Is there anything eternally valuable and undeniably valuable to all? But even in philosophy value fluctuates based on who is doing the valuing. To some thinkers that question is important. Personally, I see no value at all in finding an answer to that question and would rather set my mind to other things.“
Read More“I’ve been thinking a lot about protest and rebellion the last week….“
Read More“The coronation of a new King is an undoubtedly historic moment, but it raises a lot of philosophical questions…“
As is tradition, there will be no new Philosophy Unleashed post today as this Monday is May Day, an International Worker’s Day in memory of the Haymarket Affair and the battle for an eight-hour work day (as well as the third anniversary of the e-book publication of my book, Authentic Democracy: An Ethical Justification of Anarchism, also available in paperback here). Currently the UK is experiencing the largest level of mass industrial action across a range of public sectors because, all these years later, we still do not have an appropriate settlement between employers and their workers. While we will be posting next Monday, during the coronation bank holiday, this one is an important philosophical opportunity to reflect on ethical employment and workers’ rights while also taking a day off in solidarity with all those striking right now in the fight for a better world. Happy May Day from Philosophy Unleashed.
Read More“When I sat down to write this post I was uninspired, yet now I have no doubt that I will, yet again, meet my self-imposed deadline and have a new Philosophy Unleashed post completed exactly when it is needed. Inspiration was there all along. I just had to find it. But what is inspiration?“
I’m off eating chocolate eggs for the next few weeks so enjoy a few Mondays without us while school takes a break. If you’re missing PU while we’re off for the holidays please enjoy our free archive of over 150 philosophy articles or, if there’s something we’re not writing about that you’d like to see, get in touch and write for us yourself! We’ll be back on April 24th with all new weekly philosophy posts every Monday morning at 6am.