My high schooler is taking Philosophy, Ethics and Comparative Religion, and I get the most amazing email every week from his teacher. My only quibble is that this is an elective. I have my own views on these topics, but that doesnt matter. I WANT him to hear other viewpoints, and I cant help but think that if this were a required class, one that actually gets students to think critically, to argue and grapple with big ideas that may not be their own, instead of being expected to acquiesce, that there would be a little more understanding in the world and a little less war. A slightly edited excerpt: This week we spent the first part of the week learning about the ethical school of utilitarianism. We read and discussed about Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. Additionally, we watched a great episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation titled I, Borg. The homework this week focused on the rationality of religious faith. We will take on the question next week, If there is a God why does he allowing suffering? We will be reading from the book of Job and spend some time learning about theodicies (explanations for the co-existence of God and suffering). Later in the week we will begin to learn about the basic teachings of Christianity. Just a note. We will teach the big 5 religions this semester. All of them will be taught and approached as if they are true. I have found this approach to be far more intriguing to students than an approach that treats all religions as false. Additionally, students will be able to have a Q and A with religious leaders/teachers of the various faiths this semester.
Posted on: Thu, 25 Sep 2014 23:01:48 +0000
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