Deep impact: Philosophy makes its mark

Earlier in 2022, the Middle School Ethics Team competed in the International Ethics Olympiad, walking away with a gold medal and beating more than 250 schools competing for the top prize. Students had to respond to 10 complex moral dilemmas with clear, concise, critical thinking as part of a respectful discussion with competitors from other schools. Critical and creative thinking were necessary, but it was the students’ strong character traits that shone through.

“The aim was to better understand the complexities of the topic and consider what is ethical, rather than simply to ‘beat’ the other teams,” says team member and Year 10 student Bronte Parkin. “I think that approach fosters interesting, open-minded discussions which, honestly, I think the world could do with a lot more of.”

“The aim was to better understand the complexities of the topic and consider what is ethical, rather than simply to ‘beat’ the other teams.”

Year 10 student Bronte Parkin

The School’s philosophy coach and IB Diploma teacher, Dr Jonathan Hall, says cultivating strong character traits is a key part of what his students learn as they think about how to construct and evaluate philosophical arguments. “Good character and good philosophy go hand-in-hand,” he says. “How do you think deeply and communicate effectively about an issue without first applying open-mindedness, balance, courage and respect?”

He says the application of certain character traits leads to stronger arguments; students then have a greater appreciation and respect for alternative views but also the courage to speak up about what they think is true and good. Not only does the approach prepare them well for philosophy competitions, it also prepares them for life after school.

Dr Hall counts character, alongside critical and creative thinking, as a key part of his teaching.

“What kind of people are we wanting our students to become? One of the things I insist on is that our students argue respectfully and with humility. In their explanation, analysis and evaluation of arguments, they should be engaging charitably with the other person,” he says. “It’s not just an intellectual game. We’re not just trying to win an argument. We care about what’s true so our counter-arguments should be in the name of truth, not in the name of ‘I’m going to win.’”

This approach accounts for much of the success of Dr Hall’s Philosophy program. Students feel free to engage honestly and vulnerably with complex concepts and questions and are simply encouraged to be their curious selves.

“What kind of people are we wanting our students to become? One of the things I insist on is that our students argue respectfully and with humility. In their explanation, analysis and evaluation of arguments, they should be engaging charitably with the other person. It’s not just an intellectual game. We’re not just trying to win an argument. We care about what’s true so our counter arguments should be in the name of truth, not in the name of ‘I’m going to win’.”

Philosophy teacher Dr Jonathan Hall

“They like asking big questions. They’re inquisitive and curious kids. They come from curious and inquisitive families who are used to talking around the dinner table about big things,” says Deputy Head of School, Brad Swibel.

Curious students find a happy home at St Andrew’s Cathedral School because they’re encouraged to ask big questions about life and truth and meaning in their Christian Studies classes. Dr Hall says this kind of thinking leads many students to consider taking part in the philosophy co-curricular club and as a Year 11 subject taught in the IB Diploma program, where students can wrestle and discuss different understandings of the world and what is true.

“Philosophy and theology have ancient and entangled roots so there are significant areas of overlap going back thousands of years. Anyone thinking deeply in any discipline or within any worldview is going to encounter philosophical questions, so philosophy offers excellent tools for understanding a Christian worldview more deeply, and this includes being able to question that view,” he says.

“The philosophy classroom is a place in which everyone acknowledges they have an existing worldview, with certain foundational claims and assumptions, and we learn to think carefully, critically and charitably about those views, including our own. We seek to have reasons and evidence for what we hold to be true and we ask others for their reasons and evidence.

“Speaking personally, philosophy has been profoundly important in making me think carefully through questions about whether God exists, who we are as human beings, questions about the limits of our knowledge and questions about meaning, purpose and value.”

For Year 10 student and Ethics Olympiad team member, Rama Chadda-Harmer, philosophy is a much-loved part of his schooling experience and a subject in which he can see significant personal growth.

“My involvement started in Year 7, Dr Hall gave an announcement saying ‘come and join the Philosophy Club if you like asking big questions’ and that had me hooked,” he said. “I can now take a vague idea or feeling and sit there with it, and think through why, and construct logical arguments out of what was just an emotion or simple notion.”

Like all good philosophers, Rama can’t help but ask ‘why?’ It’s a question that calls for a personal wrestle with ideas and concepts that are often beyond our initial understanding, which is a mental space Rama enjoys spending time in.

“I’m the type of person that likes to know why. If someone tells me in Mathematics, for instance, that everything to the power of zero equals one, I want to know why that is. There’s a drive to comprehend and understand, and I’m going to be using the tools of philosophy to satisfy that drive for my whole life.”