Did you know that today is World Philosophy Day? No, I had no clue, either.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), my staple news source, has today posted an opinion piece about teaching children to think critically, something I would very much like to see for my own children.

Laptop computers may be handy and entertaining gadgets but they don’t teach children how to think! Philosophy does. It gives young people a capacity for understanding that leads to real knowledge, which in turn promotes the self-esteem they need to develop their interest in seeking out wisdom or meaning for themselves, rather than just accepting the status quo. It combines their curiosity with their creativity, and the results - as the statewide HSC art displays demonstrate every year - can be spectacular.

A generation of curious and creative Australians may well ask:

• Why is war still seen as a solution in the 21st century?
• Why is power either conceded by or taken from people?
• Can a balance ever really be struck between the environment and economic growth?
• How can the Maslow pyramid be inverted so that people have food, shelter and warmth and more time to think about the world we live in and how best to preserve it?
• What did Prime Minister Rudd mean when he spoke of “a future based on mutual respect, mutual resolve and mutual responsibility”? How will he execute his plan for “a future where all Australians, whatever their origins, are truly equal partners, with equal opportunities and with an equal stake in shaping the next chapter in the history of this great country, Australia”?
• What is the right thing to do?
• What are my real needs, and how can I best satisfy them in a responsible way?

Tranter, K. (2008). A day to realise capacity of youngest minds. Retrieved 20 November, 2008, from ABC News Opinion. Website http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/20/2423869.htm

Of all the different disciplines I have studied in my time - Anatomy and Physiology, Biochemistry and Biomechanics, Sports Psychology, IR and HRM, Economics, Accounting, Management Science and Econometrics, Marketing, English, Philosophy, Mathematics, Computer Science and Information Technology, Linguistics, Journalism and Internet Studies - I love Philosophy the best. Philosophy taught me indeed how to think and brought me closest to my fondest desire: seeking the truth. Aside from the deep tugging in my soul for the pursuit of truth, Philosophy was the only discipline that pushed my mind beyond its limits: an ineffable feeling of exhilaration and exhaustion all at once. ‘Twas a logic problem that caused it!

I feel the world would be a better place if people would look at issues for themselves and debate them with skill. I have two examples to share, both related to politics.

The first example struck me after watching The Howard Years. Howard was in power from the beginning of my adult life, so I haven’t, from an adult perspective, known the nature of our country under any other leader (excepting this last year). It amazed me to see the degree of passion some of Howard’s decisions, for example, at the Waterfront, on reconciliation and on gun reform. The protests! wow! By comparison, we are an apathetic lot now - why weren’t we protesting about going to war, for example, and the WorkChoices turn outs were genuinely tame when viewed alongside the old-school picket line. The political (and perhaps the economic) climate lulled us to sleep!

I think that philosophically - or at least critically - trained minds would be less likely to drink the milk offered and simply drift off to sleep like that.

My second example concerns the Government’s ISP filtering proposal. Sure, it’s poorly thought-out, but the response online has, to a large degree, also been poorly constructed, focussing on technical issues - the Government’s pilot is trialling those now, so it’s a bit early to pass judgement - and censorship issues. Well, is it censorship? Blocking illegal content like child pornography and terror incitement - the first and mandatory tier of the plan - seems to me more akin to blocking the traffic of illegal pharmeceuticals than to censorship. There are grave concerns over the second, opt-out tier, that is very true, but I think debate on that issue could be structured far more effectively.

Again here, philosophy aids us in examining issues on the merits, extracting the pertinent points, constructing reasoned viewpoints and presenting arguments for them. Bless me, what do they teach them in these schools!