180. WHAT PHILOSOPHY COULD BE - Breaking The Norms That Don't Have To Be Norms

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“Philosophy is difficult. But it is only as difficult as we choose to make it. Rigorous thinking does not have to be alienating. It does not have to speak a secretive and opaque language different from the way non-philosophers speak.  That is a choice, not a necessity.  Nor too should academic specialisation and disciplinary complexity be mistaken as necessary components of philosophy. Navel-gazing is still just navel-gazing, even when it props up an entire job market. So too is self-interested gatekeeping intended to preserve a questionable system rather than make it accessible to the masses.“

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ANNOUNCEMENT: Philosophy Gets Schooled Podcast

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Check out this excellent new Philosophy A-level podcast from Simon Kirchin - Philosophy Gets Schooled (and check out his other excellent philosophy podcast, Philosophy Take on the News if you have time too!).

Philosophy Unleashed’s DaN McKee is talking about utilitarianism on this episode.

72. THE 2021 EXAMS ARE NOT CANCELLED - But They Should Be

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“I don’t believe in examinations, but I do believe in moral tests, and I worry that when we do eventually hear back from the consultation about the alternative to 2021 GCSEs and A-levels we will have failed yet another one.“

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64. THE UNEXAMINED LIFE IS WORTH LIVING - Why An Emphasis on Exams Misses The Point of Education

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“As I tell my students, the absolute worst way to judge how good a philosopher you are would be to take away all of your books and resources, isolate you so you cannot speak to anybody else, and set you an arbitrary chunk of time in which to answer a really big question.“

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