Teaching Workshop: Advanced Philosophical Workshop 2

Philosophy is not just for philosophers, but for everyone. Not only because we all ask ourselves the big questions (What is the world made of? Does life have meaning? What is right and what is wrong? Is there a justice above men?) but because today's world, with the widespread use of electronic media, requires that every citizen be equipped with the knowledge and critical thinking that enable him or her to navigate and defend themselves against the pitfalls of the Net. The workshop will show that such tools and knowledge can be drawn from the philosophical tradition. Moreover, philosophy, taken out of the classrooms of universities and high schools, is increasingly becoming the subject of public debate. The workshop will also show how philosophy can meet different audiences (children, general readers, professionals of various kinds) by demonstrating how good dissemination can trigger curiosity and independent thinking, starting with the possibility of doing philosophy with children. Particular attention will be paid to the development of critical thinking, to the need to make tools for logic and argumentation analysis available to the general public, and to developments in cognitive sciences aimed at acquiring an awareness of the biases and mental traps that hinder the process of correct thinking and rational decisions.

This workshop helps students to build the following skills:

Ability to apply knowledge and understanding:
To critically analyze, discuss, and compare philosophical views.
To critically assess sources of information and the reliability of data.

Independent judgment:
To think through complex philosophical views.
To take a position on a certain philosophical issue and develop arguments in its favor.
To collect, correctly interpret, and appropriately use data to make independent, informed, and responsible judgments.

Communication skills:
To efficiently present the results of one's own research, and do so by using information technology when appropriate.
To dialogue in a constructive way with experts from other disciplines to identify and solve complex problems.
To disseminate knowledge and pass on acquired skills to non-specialized audiences.

Learning skills:
To study in an independent way.
To independently and appropriately use sources and basic bibliographic/information tools for philosophical research and scientific updating.