Doing philosophy
---
👩 Teacher's Guide
🎯 Objective
Students will be able to:
- Understand and explain the key concepts of this topic
- Apply philosophical reasoning to everyday situations
- Formulate questions about knowledge, meaning, and reality
---
📝 Teaching Notes
- Key idea to emphasize: Main philosophical concepts from this chapter
- Common misunderstanding: Students often think philosophy is just knowing facts
- Suggested teaching approach: Focus on questions rather than answers
---
💬 Discussion Starter
Ask students:
- What surprised you most about this topic?
- Can you think of a real-life example that relates to what we discussed?
---
🧒 Student Worksheet
Concept and Helping Material
Doing Philosophy
Philosophers question EVERYTHING and ANYTHING. They question ideas and concepts, theories and arguments. They even question the questions that they and other philosophers ask...
Taking Nothing for Granted
When you're doing philosophy, you can't take anything for granted. No exceptions—even the most obvious things. How do you know that 2+2=4? How do you know that a tree you see really exists?
Skepticism in Action
Try this thought experiment from everyday life:
If our senses could be fooled, how do we know the things we "know"?
Here's a classic philosophical puzzle about everyday assumptions:
> How do you know that the Sun will rise tomorrow?
The Sun Experiment
Can you imagine the Sun not rising? Since you can imagine it, surely you agree it's possible the Sun won't rise. Well, if it's possible, you can't know for certain that it will rise...
But does it being 'likely' give you a good reason to believe it?
Why This Matters
Philosophers ask questions like this not to be annoying or negative, but to understand:
✓ What we can trust
✓ What we can't be sure about
✓ How to think more carefully before accepting things as true
This kind of questioning is called skepticism—the practice of questioning knowledge claims and trying to understand the limits of what we can know.
---
Vocabulary and Definitions
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Philosophy | The study of fundamental questions about existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language |
| Epistemology | The branch of philosophy about the nature and scope of knowledge, its limits and validity |
| Concept | An abstract idea or general notion |
| Argument | A reasoned, logical presentation that supports or defends a claim |
---
Hands-On Activity
What You Need: Paper, pens, and 5-10 objects around the room
What You Do:
1) Form groups and discuss a philosophical question together
2) Each group shares their different perspectives
3) Discuss how different people might answer the same question differently
Think and Talk:**
- How does this relate to what you learned about "Doing philosophy"?
2. What does epistemology study?
3. Which famous philosopher is associated with the causal theory of knowledge?
4. What is the difference between a belief and knowledge?
5. What does the mind-body problem question?
6. What is aesthetic appreciation concerned with?
7. What is the problem of evil?
8. What is political philosophy concerned with?
9. What is the principle of benevolence?
10. What does 'time and identity' philosophy explore?
11. What is a logical fallacy?
12. What does 'language games' mean?
13. What is the 'meaning of life' question?
14. What is a thought experiment?
15. What does 'skepticism' mean?
16. What is 'epistemic justification'?
17. What is the nature of consciousness?
18. What does 'ethics' study?
19. What is the 'Is-Ought' problem?
20. How can philosophy help us in daily life?
---
Reflection
- Think about a question you've always wondered but didn't know how to ask. What might philosophy help you explore?
- From this topic, what new idea challenged your thinking or changed how you view something in the world?
- What philosophical question do you think is most important to answer in your lifetime?