At Lab, John Dewey is revered. We have been told his mantra, “learning by doing,” hundreds of times. But John Dewey’s greatest achievement was not his educational wisdom — it was his contributions to the American pragmatist movement of philosophy. The school’s founder and local hero is among the more famous philosophers of the 20th century, yet Lab, and most other American schools, offer no philosophy classes. Some English and history classes offer brief summaries of the subject, but none provide a space to think in depth about its questions.

Philosophy is an enriching and enlightening part of life and has been a driving force of intellectual and popular culture since Ancient Greece. Philosophy should be a full-year course offered to all high schoolers.

One possible reason why philosophy is not taught at Lab is that many people don’t understand what it actually is. It’s not, as many seem to think, a pretentious intellectual game played by the elite with no consequence or basis in reality. On the contrary — philosophers are looking for the truth as much as scientists or mathematicians, and the only thing they are interested in is reality. Moreover, it is a subject of the utmost consequence. How can one live a good life without thinking about what a good life is? 

Philosophy would improve Lab students’ ability to recognize bad arguments. They would be less likely to be misled into believing sophistical and dishonest ideas because they would be able to distinguish, on a technical level, between what is false and what is true. 

Students would also benefit from a philosophy class because it would help them make rational choices in their own lives. High school is a turbulent time, and with the looming bundle of decisions surrounding colleges, many students are left feeling perplexed and uncertain. Philosophy class is a place where people can think, in a direct and serious way, about how best to lead their lives. 

Philosophy would be an elective. It would have grades and tests and homework like any other class. The curriculum would cover ancient works by Plato and Aristotle, as well as modern works by Hume, Descartes and Nietzsche. The class would be a space both to learn what these philosophers believed and to discuss whether they were right. 

The mission statement of our school places emphasis on igniting a spirit of curiosity. Philosophy is the most curious of the humanities — by its very nature, it questions the validity of literally everything. Lab should honor its own mission statement by incorporating philosophy into the high school curriculum.