Objective

Students will be able to define the term philosophy, explore and discuss foundational principles, examine a philosophical concept, and evaluate philosophical thought.

Essential questions

1. What is philosophy?
2. How can we evaluate philosophical thought?
3. What are the foundational principles of philosophy?

Materials

• Handouts with definitions of philosophy • Posters illustrating philosophical ideas • Assorted clips from philosophical films • Research materials

Hook/Introduction

In order to introduce the lesson, the teacher will begin by asking the students for their own definition of the term philosophy. After taking a few responses, the teacher will then explain the purpose of the lesson, which is to examine philosophical ideas and evaluate philosophical thought.

Activity 1

The teacher will then provide handouts with the formal definition of philosophy, as well as a poster discussion activity that concisely breaks down the parts of the definition. Students will be working in pairs or small groups to answer the following questions: What aspects of the definition of philosophy are most striking to you? What implications do they have?

This discussion will allow students to learn more about the fundamentals of the field of philosophy and the core ideas of it.

Activity 2

After the poster discussion, the teacher will move onto the next part of the lesson, which is a video clip activity. The teacher will provide clips from various philosophical films that address ideas such as free will, morality, and fortune. After each clip, students will be asked to answer questions that focus on the philosophical concept they just viewed, allowing students to develop their own interpretations of philosophical thought.

Assessment

A written assessment will follow this exercise to assess students’ understanding of the lesson material. This assessment might include open-ended questions about the foundational principles of philosophy and an evaluation of the philosophical concept in the video clips.

Closure

The teacher will close the lesson by having students share out their answers from the written assessment or by summarizing the key principles discussed throughout the lesson.

By the end of this lesson, students should have a better understanding of the definition, core principles, and evaluation of philosophical thought.