John Dewey

6 results

School plays a fundamental role in our broader society, supporting children to thrive and flourish in a holistic way. Photograph: iStock
Twelve things Covid-19 has taught us about education and schooling

As the school year draws to a close, it is an opportune time to reflect on what we have learned about education and schooling over the past few months(...)

A large boulder deposited at Annagh Head in Co Mayo.
Ancient storms - not a tsunami - left massive boulders on western coast cliffs, study finds

Spectacular boulder deposits on the Co Mayo coast and parts of the western seaboard were caused by ferocious Atlantic storms - and not an unknown tsun(...)

‘What is the effect of resisting all gun control?’ the pragmatist would ask. Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Pragmatism: A philosophy that’s as sensible as it is unpopular

How to deal with disagreement is an urgent challenge of our times. Without ground rules for adjudicating on competing claims, decisions get made by fo(...)

Belvedere College students Matthew Collins, Adam Goodman, Niall Miller and Jack Rutledge participating in the Annual Sleepout to raise funds for the Homeless in 2012. Photograph: Alan Betson / THE IRISH TIMES
In Ireland both men and women are down-graded, ridiculed, put down

‘Ah, Da, tell us the story again about the hospital ship.” He smiled with delight, but my mother groaned: “Oh not again, give us a break.” She had hea(...)

John Dewey: scepticism is ‘the mark and even the pose of the educated mind’
Unthinkable: Is scepticism a sustainable philosophy?

In the Middle Ages, prominent sceptics were burned at the stake. Today they’re invited to be panellists on Mock the Week. Yes, scepticism – the idea t(...)

Talking to children about Harry Potter (above, played by Daniel Radcliffe), can introduce philosophical subjects such as ethics (Is power more important than good?) to epistemology (How can we know ghosts and trolls?) and metaphysics (How do spells work?)
Finding philsophy lessons in child-friendly places

If you’re a teacher and you’re planning to do philosophy with your class then resist the temptation to reference weighty tomes written by dead Greeks (...)