Philosophy
Description
What is Philosophy?
The word 'philosophy' is derived from the ancient Greek words 'philia' and 'Sophia', which is translated as 'love of wisdom'. It suggests a vocation for questioning, learning, and teaching.
Philosophers are curious about the world, humanity, existence, values, knowledge, understanding and the nature of things.
Philosophy can be characterised by and distinguished from other disciplines by its methods of inquiry. Philosophers often frame their questions as problems or puzzles, in order to give clear examples of their doubts about a subject or issue they find interesting, fascinating or confusing. Often these questions that philosophers pursue are about the assumptions behind a belief, or about the methods by which people reason.
In addition to the method of inquiry, philosophers seek justifications for the answers to these questions. In the search for justifications, philosophers continually re-examine, reflect, understand, and clarify both their peers', as well as their own justifications.
What are the Learning Values of Philosophy?
The essential learning value of Philosophy is the development of philosophical skills. These skills are not only restricted to the discipline of Philosophy itself, but are rather also applicable to other academic disciplines, as well as to our daily lives. To elaborate, some of these philosophical skills are:
1. Through the method of inquiry, students learn how and what to critique. It is from this that a student's Critical Thinking is developed.
2. Students also develop the discipline to sustain their focus on a particular discussion. As a consequence, they are able to investigate an issue further and deeper.
3. The development of active listening skills and the willingness to be open-minded to other perspectives. Through this, Empathy, defined as proficiency in accurately rephrasing your peers' viewpoint and the sincere consideration of those viewpoints, is also being enhanced.
4. Good behavioural etiquette is also being nurtured during group/class discussions. The aim of this is to build an environment where students are forthcoming with the exchange of their ideas, as well as the sharing of their experiences and knowledge. This allows students to come to understand the learning value of focus group discussions.
5. Students are taught the skills of constructing good arguments. Being a critical discipline, students will not only learn to how to justify their arguments, but they are also required to think, reflect, as well as re-examine the soundness of their justifications. This skill of processing good arguments can be readily applied in other disciplines such as English Literature, General Paper, Knowledge and Inquiry, History, etc.
6. Besides the skill of constructing good arguments, students are also taught how to de-construct and analyse each argument critically. This skill aims to enhance a student's analytical ability.
The word 'philosophy' is derived from the ancient Greek words 'philia' and 'Sophia', which is translated as 'love of wisdom'. It suggests a vocation for questioning, learning, and teaching.
Philosophers are curious about the world, humanity, existence, values, knowledge, understanding and the nature of things.
Philosophy can be characterised by and distinguished from other disciplines by its methods of inquiry. Philosophers often frame their questions as problems or puzzles, in order to give clear examples of their doubts about a subject or issue they find interesting, fascinating or confusing. Often these questions that philosophers pursue are about the assumptions behind a belief, or about the methods by which people reason.
In addition to the method of inquiry, philosophers seek justifications for the answers to these questions. In the search for justifications, philosophers continually re-examine, reflect, understand, and clarify both their peers', as well as their own justifications.
What are the Learning Values of Philosophy?
The essential learning value of Philosophy is the development of philosophical skills. These skills are not only restricted to the discipline of Philosophy itself, but are rather also applicable to other academic disciplines, as well as to our daily lives. To elaborate, some of these philosophical skills are:
1. Through the method of inquiry, students learn how and what to critique. It is from this that a student's Critical Thinking is developed.
2. Students also develop the discipline to sustain their focus on a particular discussion. As a consequence, they are able to investigate an issue further and deeper.
3. The development of active listening skills and the willingness to be open-minded to other perspectives. Through this, Empathy, defined as proficiency in accurately rephrasing your peers' viewpoint and the sincere consideration of those viewpoints, is also being enhanced.
4. Good behavioural etiquette is also being nurtured during group/class discussions. The aim of this is to build an environment where students are forthcoming with the exchange of their ideas, as well as the sharing of their experiences and knowledge. This allows students to come to understand the learning value of focus group discussions.
5. Students are taught the skills of constructing good arguments. Being a critical discipline, students will not only learn to how to justify their arguments, but they are also required to think, reflect, as well as re-examine the soundness of their justifications. This skill of processing good arguments can be readily applied in other disciplines such as English Literature, General Paper, Knowledge and Inquiry, History, etc.
6. Besides the skill of constructing good arguments, students are also taught how to de-construct and analyse each argument critically. This skill aims to enhance a student's analytical ability.
Staff
| Name | Designation | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mr Kenneth Low | Head of Department | kenneth.low@ri.edu.sg | 63549122 |
| Ms Kristie Chen | Teacher | kristie.tay@ri.edu.sg | 63549179 |
| Mr Leon Lai | Teacher (currently on-course until Mar 2010) | leon.lai@ri.edu.sg | 63549179 |
| Mr Lim Lit San | Teacher | litsan.lim@ri.edu.sg | 63549179 |
| Mr Dennis Au | Teacher | dennis.au@ri.edu.sg | 63549161 |
| Mr Kek Wei Lee | Teacher | weilee.kek@ri.edu.sg | 63549178 |
| Dr Iluyomade Raphael Funwa | Teacher | raphael.funwa@ri.edu.sg | 63549179 |
Curriculum
Philosophy
Aims of the Raffles Philosophy Course:
We aim to introduce students to some of the most important questions that philosophers have contemplated for 2500 years and to some of the most powerful answers they have given. In particular, it will also introduce students to the methods philosophers have used in raising and attempting to answer these questions: argument and critical analysis of concepts.
Our Approach:
Philosophy in Raffles Institution is done through Socratic dialogue in a community of inquiry.
The focus is not on learning "what some philosophers say" but is rather on engaging the students in the philosophical process itself.
We aim to introduce students to some of the most important questions that philosophers have contemplated for 2500 years and to some of the most powerful answers they have given. In particular, it will also introduce students to the methods philosophers have used in raising and attempting to answer these questions: argument and critical analysis of concepts.
Our Approach:
Philosophy in Raffles Institution is done through Socratic dialogue in a community of inquiry.
The focus is not on learning "what some philosophers say" but is rather on engaging the students in the philosophical process itself.
| Secondary 1 |
|---|
| In Secondary 1, the emphasis is on foundation skills in Philosophy, including logical reasoning, formulating arguments and the techniques of questioning. The students will receive hands-on practices involving the Hilda-Taba method of understanding concepts, constructing and analysing arguments and applying Socratic reasoning in class discussions.They will be expected to challenge common notions and definitions, to look at them from alternative perspectives, and have fun in the process. |
| Secondary 2 |
|---|
| At secondary 2, the focus will mainly be on certain moral theories and their application. Students will be asked to apply the spirit of inquiry and methods of reasoning learnt in Secondary 1 to their understanding of moral values. |
| Secondary 3 |
|---|
| At this level, students will have an overview of the different ways of knowing, and the relationship of each to understanding reality. Problems of knowledge in different fields are introduced to the students. Possible topics include: the problem of scientific knowledge, in terms of the problem of sense-experience and the problem of induction. Throughout the different issues discussed in the year, logic will also be weaved into the curriculum to hone their reasoning skills. |
| Secondary 4 |
|---|
| At this stage, the students will move on to political philosophy and a special Argument Writing Template (AWT) module. Political theories that are introduced are: Plato's theory of aristocracy, emphasising the role of an elite minority; Hobbes' theory, which rests on a theory of conflict in the natural state of man, and emphasises the role of the state as a controlling mechanism; Locke's theory, which rests on a more harmonious natural state of society, and emphasises the social contract as defining the role of the government; and Marx's theory, which looks at society as primarily class-based, applying Hegel's analysis of dialectical evolution through synthesis, and emphasises the role of the underlying economics in defining political structure rather than the traditional overarching justification present in the other three theories. The Argument Writing Template (AWT) is a module that aims to help pupils focus on the logic of their prose writing. This is a skill that is required in all fields of writing that calls for persuasion and reason. |
Enrichment Programmes
| RI Interschool Philosophy Dialogue | July | This is an annual get-together of pupils from different schools in Singapore who are interested in engaging themselves in meaningful philosophical dialogue. |