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sorites paradox

Props: Philosophy Elephant Duplo Introduce Philosophy Elephant.  Then introduce the story "...and today it is a story about Philosophy Elephant." Tell this story about Philosophy Elephant and a heap of Duplo. Philosophy Elephant loves to play but Philosophy Elephant loves to play even more with his friend...

Ages: Ages 3-5 (EYFS)

Subjects: Epistemology

The Big Number

The Philosophy This session needs a little bit of general knowledge – that is why it is KS2, but half the fun is how the children try to apply their limited general knowledge to solve the problem. There are two basic issues. The first is whether 'facts' about the world expressed in numbers are literally true. The second is wheth...

Ages: Ages 7-11 (KS2)

Subjects: Epistemology

Themes: Numbers, Identity, Evidence

The Big Red Button

Thinking about Risk and Responsibility Session by Peter Worley. The emphasis throughout this lesson plan is on risk and responsibility, however you may want to include a discussion around self control and desire. If so, during the first enquiry (around TQ1) have the class explore how much they want (or would want) to press the button and h...

Ages: Ages 14-16 (KS4), Ages 11-14 (KS3), Ages 7-11 (KS2)

Subjects: Ethics, Epistemology

Themes: Self-control, Responsibility, Knowledge

The Butterfly Dream

The Philosophy There is a view in philosophy known as epistemological scepticism in which it is held that we cannot know anything for certain. There are a number of arguments for why this is the case that have issued from sceptical voices over the thousands of years this has been debated. One of these arguments is known as the 'dreaming a...

Ages: Ages 11-14 (KS3), Ages 7-11 (KS2)

Subjects: Epistemology

Themes: Scepticism, Reality, Knowledge

The Experience Machine

Stimulus: Imagine there is a machine that you can attach to your head and it makes you have an experience of whatever you want so that it seems real. It’s like having a dream which you can choose that seems like real life. When you are having the experience, however, you think it’s real. The machine is called ‘the experience...

Ages: Ages 11-14 (KS3), Ages 7-11 (KS2)

Subjects: Ethics, Epistemology

Themes: Well being, Self, Future, Choice, Autonomy

The Magician's Tricks Part 2: The Flying Man & The Falling Man

The Philosophy This is a slightly different session in that we are asking the children to consider an argument directly, and it is a continuation of the first Magician's Tricks stories. It is important that the first story is run so that the children are prepared for this argument. To find out more about Avicenna you can hear podcast o...

Ages: Ages 14-16 (KS4), Ages 11-14 (KS3), Ages 7-11 (KS2)

Subjects: Epistemology

Themes: Sense and reference, Sense, Knowledge

The Magician's Tricks: Honest Sa'id and The Magician

The Philosophy You can hear an 'In Our Time' and 'Philosophy Bites' about Avicenna here: http://philosophybites.com/2007/09/peter-adamson-o.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00855lt In a colourful career Avicenna proved the existence of god, amalgamated all known medical knowledge into one big book and establish...

Ages: Ages 14-16 (KS4), Ages 11-14 (KS3), Ages 7-11 (KS2)

Subjects: Epistemology

Themes: Sense and reference, Sense, Knowledge, Behaviour

The Old Woman in The Cave

There was once a man who desired to know. He was very bookish and spent most of his time buried in a book. One day, he turned to his wife and said, ‘I have studied much and I know a great deal, but there is one thing that eludes me: truth. I have decided to leave and search for truth. ‘Good luck!’ said his wife. Task Ques...

Ages: Ages 7-11 (KS2)

Subjects: Epistemology

The Selfish session

This is the ‘seminar’ session where you will present at least one position (argument) relating to selfhood. Use the Sibelius Model for doing so: in other words, present a stimulus, run a PhiE then look for an opportunity to present an argument. Once the argument has been presented and written up make sure the discussion focuses (so a...

Ages: Ages 11-14 (KS3), Ages 7-11 (KS2)

Subjects: Epistemology

The Surgeon with Cold Hands

This session was created by Caroline Schaffalitzky de Muckadell, from the University of Southern Denmark.  She is part of the project Filosofi i Skolen, which The Philosophy Foundation is partnered with. Philosophy A central question in moral philosophy concerns what makes something morally wrong. Is it if the act harms others? If it ...

Ages: Ages 16-18 (KS5), Ages 14-16 (KS4), Ages 11-14 (KS3)

Subjects: Ethics, Epistemology