Response from Andrew N. Carpenter on October 13, 2005

I agree that critical thinking skills are vital. Taking a course in critical thinking is not the only way to gain these skills, however, and so I think the most important question is whether high school students have plentiful opportunities to do this.

In part, this is a matter of curriculum. I suspect that required courses in critical thinking or introduction to philosophy are not the best ways to inspire high school students to work hard on developing critical thinking skills. Instead, I agree with the idea that critical thinking should be taught “across the curriculum,” which is to say should be taught in diverse ways in nearly every course. The trick, of course, is designing excellent curriculum that does this well.

That said, I suspect that quality of teaching matters more than curricular design: it is our relationships with individual teachers that can inspire us to work hard and learn the most, and the most important educational reforms may be those that help our teachers to learn how to inspire as many of their students as possible.

Response from Joseph G. Moore on October 12, 2005

I don't see anything wrong with using education as a means to an end, as when I suffer through a dreary course on car mechanics so that I can learn how to fix my own engine. Having said this, I don't think education is always merely a means to an end: not only can it be fulfilling to learn certain things even if this knowledge is put to no practical use, but the very process of educating oneself can be fulfilling independently of any value practical or otherwise in the things learned.

Response from Alexander George on October 9, 2005

Remain fascinated to the point of distraction by the questions, problems, solutions, arguments of philosophy. I don't know how much this is in one's control: you can avoid bad teachers and seek out inspiring ones; you can select to focus on areas that grip you; you can learn to put a project away for a while if it's causing you grief; etc. But there's only so far one can force a fascination. Sadly, there are no guarantees of the kind you seek. Or rather, not so sadly.