Susan Gardner | Capilano University (original) (raw)
Papers by Susan Gardner
Introduction: Freedom is a magnet. Ask any teen chomping at the bit under adult rules. Ask any en... more Introduction: Freedom is a magnet. Ask any teen chomping at the bit under adult rules. Ask any entrepreneur entangled in endless government regulation. Ask any child in a war zone who longs for freedom from fear. This “will to freedom” is an appetitive stimulus for us all; a stimulus more foundational than the “will to power” (Nietzsche 1895/1992), which is merely instrumentally valuable for the pursuit of freedom. Freedom, however, is not a one-stop shop. One individual’s freedom magnet might be freedom of action, another’s freedom from judgement, another’s freedom to participate, another’s freedom from want, another’s freedom from oppression, and another’s freedom of sexual expression.
Philosophy has a dirty little secret and it is this: a whole lot of philosophers have swallowed t... more Philosophy has a dirty little secret and it is this: a whole lot of philosophers have swallowed the mechanistic billiard ball deterministic view of human action-presumably because philosophy assumes that science demands it, and/or because modern attempts to articulate in what free will consists seem incoherent (e.g., that free will might somehow be found in the indeterminacy of subatomic particles 2). This below-the-surface-purely-academic commitment to mechanistic determinism is a dirty little secret because an honest public commitment would render virtually all that is taught in philosophy departments incomprehensible. Can "lovers of wisdom" really continue to tolerate such a heavy burden of hypocrisy? For it is maximally hypocritical, is it not, to teach ethics, or existentialism, or political philosophy, or critical thinking, or indeed to teach anything at all if one views the bodies of humans as entities determined by forces that are describable entirely under the aus...
While making P4C much more easily disseminated, short-term weekend and weeklong P4C training prog... more While making P4C much more easily disseminated, short-term weekend and weeklong P4C training programs not only dilute the potential laudatory impact of P4C, they can actually be dangerous. As well, lack of worldwide standards precludes the possibility of engaging in sufficiently high quality research of the sort that would allow the collection of empirical data in support the efficacy of worldwide P4C adoption. For all these reasons, the authors suggest that P4C advocates ought to insist that programs of a minimum of five philosophy courses be accepted as the recognized standard for any teacher to legitimately claim that she is teaching Philosophy for Children.
Marshalling a mind-numbing array of data, Harvard political scientist Robert D. Putnam, in his bo... more Marshalling a mind-numbing array of data, Harvard political scientist Robert D. Putnam, in his book Bowling Alone, shows that on virtually every conceivable measure, civic participation, or what he refers to as "social capital," is plummeting to levels not seen for almost 100 years. And we should care, Putnam argues, because connectivity is directly related to both individual and social wellbeing on a wide variety of measures. On the other hand, social capital of the "bond-ing kind" brings with it the ugly side effect of animosity toward outsiders. Given the increasing heterogeneity of our world, the goal therefore must be to enhance connectivity of the "bridging sort," i.e., connecting across differences. This, in turn, requires that we first clarify what bridging communicative styles looks like. Examining communication as it might transpire (a) in Kant's kingdom of ends, (b) through the perspective of Habermas' "communicative action,"...
Kindheit – Bildung – Erziehung. Philosophische Perspektiven
Introduction: Much has been written about the importance of creating cohesive units in such setti... more Introduction: Much has been written about the importance of creating cohesive units in such settings as the military (Dvir et al.), the work environment (Purvanova et al.), as well as in sports (Callow et al.), on the assumption that an increase in the sense of cohesiveness enhances the unit’s performance. What was particularly intriguing to the authors (one of whom is also a soccer coach) is that Callow et al. argue that “intellectual stimulation” can enhance group cohesiveness in sports teams. By intellectual stimulation they mean the sort of thinking that emerges when individuals, in “constructive conflict,” are able to view situations from different perspectives, and so are prompted to reexamine their assumptions and to rethink how to go forward (396). This sort of intellectual stimulation, therefore, is not the solitary kind that one might experience in, for instance, doing math problems; it is, rather, the sort that emerges when in communication with others.
Philosophies, 2021
The tragedy of the commons is a primary contributing factor in ensuring that humanity makes no se... more The tragedy of the commons is a primary contributing factor in ensuring that humanity makes no serious inroads in averting climate change. As a recent Canadian politician pointed out, we could shut down the Canadian economy tomorrow, and it would make no measurable difference in global greenhouse gas emissions. When coordinated effort is required, it would seem that doing the “right thing” alone is irrational: it will harm oneself with no positive consequences as a result. Such is the tragedy. And that is the challenge that we take up here. Though Garrett Hardin suggests that the solution is a governmental process that rules over all contenders, since a world government seems unlikely before the planet hits the tippy point, we suggest an educational initiative instead: one that holds a mirror up to the behaviour of individuals, rather than to the behaviour of individuals in groups. Such an educational initiative would be focused on priming individuals to keep constant track of what ...
A thriving democracy requires that citizens, despite different value sets and perspectives (Haidt... more A thriving democracy requires that citizens, despite different value sets and perspectives (Haidt), find ways to communicate across difference so that, together, they can chart a path forward that is potentially flourishing for all. In his article “Philosophy, Democracy & Education: Reconstructing Dewey,” Philip Cam quotes Dewey as saying that, both for thinking in general and democracy in particular, “we need to “think together in face-to-face relationships by means of direct give-and-take.” (3).
Open Journal for Studies in Philosophy
Journal of Philosophy in Schools
Given that one of the major goals of the practice of Philosophy for Children (P4C) is the develop... more Given that one of the major goals of the practice of Philosophy for Children (P4C) is the development of critical thinking skills (Sharp 1987/2018, pp. 4 6), an urgent question that emerged for one of the authors, who is of Chinese Heritage and a novice practitioner at a P4C summer camp (thinkingplayground.org), was whether this emphasis on critical thinking might make this practice incompatible with the fabric of Chinese culture. Filial piety (孝), which requires respect for one's parents, elders, and ancestors is considered an important virtue in Asian culture, as is the preservation of harmony. But if one of the goals of P4C is to teach youngsters to courageously pursue reasoned dialogue, does this not setup young Asians for serious conflict when they come face-to-face with positions that are articulated by elders, but which are ones to which they are diametrically opposed; a racist grandmother, for instance, or an uncle who insists that those at the Tiananmen Square uprising were nothing but hooligan's. It is this question that we will explore in this presentation. In the process, we will come to the conclusion that, when positions seem irreconcilable, rather than continuing to pursue rigorous critical interchange that may do little other than escalate insult, the facilitator, rather, ought to move toward creating a deeper understanding of each position juxtaposed against its opposing view (a process that we refer to as 'collaborative caring'), so as to produce side-by-side understanding, knowing that communal bonds have been maintained and, hence, that the opportunity for genuine reasoned collaborative inquiry on other issues and at future times remains open. Does philosophy kill culture?
Journal of Philosophy in Schools
There is a long standing controversy in education as to whether education ought to be teacher- or... more There is a long standing controversy in education as to whether education ought to be teacher- or student- centered. Interestingly, this controversy parallels the parent- vs. child-centered theoretical swings with regard to good parenting. One obvious difference between the two poles is the mode of communication. “Authoritarian” teaching and parenting strategies focus on the need of those who have much to learn to “do as they are told,” i.e. the authority talks, the child listens. “Non-authoritarian” strategies are anchored in the assumption that youngsters ought to be encouraged to develop their natural interests and talents and hence that it is important to allow the children to do the talking and that adults listen. Both strategies seemed flawed due to the absence of the inherent wisdom of its opposing view.This chasm can be overcome. The Community of Inquiry, a pedagogical method used in Philosophy for Children, demands a method of communication which is able to bridge this gap....
International Journal of Applied Philosophy
Let us suppose that we accept that humans can be correctly characterized as agents (and hence hel... more Let us suppose that we accept that humans can be correctly characterized as agents (and hence held responsible for their actions). Let us further presume that this capacity contrasts with most non-human animals. Thus, since agency is what uniquely constitutes what it is to be human, it must be of supreme importance. If these claims have any merit, it would seem to follow that, if agency can be nurtured through education, then it is an overarching moral imperative that educational initiatives be undertaken to do that. In this paper, it will be argued that agency can indeed be enhanced, and that the worldwide educational initiative called Philosophy for Children (P 4C), and others like it, are in a unique position to do just that, and, therefore, that P4C deserves our praise and support; while denigrations of such efforts for not being “real philosophy” ought to be thoroughly renounced.
Mind, Culture, and Activity
The Politics of Empathy, 2011
Ethics cannot be taught by information transfer. T here is much that we teach our children-that, ... more Ethics cannot be taught by information transfer. T here is much that we teach our children-that, for example, Napoleon was defeated at the battle of Wa-terloo, pasta is the national dish of Italy whose geography closely resembles a boot, 3 x 3 = 9, and salt is made of Sodium and Chloride. Though some of our students do not fare as well as we would like in our educational systems, nonetheless there is much of which we can be proud. The literacy rate in North America is 99% (as it is in most of Western Europe), which contrasts markedly with, for instance, Ethiopia where the literacy rate is approximately 35%, while Chad's is near the bottom at approximately 25%. 1 There is a lot, then, that we do well in teaching our children. Given that this is the case, why do we fall so short in the ethical domain? Why is it that we don't just teach our children to be kind to one another so that it actually happens? Why don't we instruct our children to refrain from verbal and physical ...
T hough Jana Mohr Lone (2012) refers to children's striving to wonder, to question, to figure out... more T hough Jana Mohr Lone (2012) refers to children's striving to wonder, to question, to figure out how the world works and where they fit as the "philosophical self," like its parent discipline, it could be argued that the philosophical self is actually the "parent self,"-the wellspring of all the other aspects of personhood that we traditionally parse out, e.g., the intellectual, moral, social, and emotional selves (p. 5). If that is the case, then to be blind to "The Philosophical Child," the latter being the title of Jana Mohr Lone's book, is, in a sense then, to be blind to the child. Thus, though Mohr Lone says that the subject of her book is to assist parents in supporting the development of children's philosophical selves (p. 7), that claim may mask the gift that this lovely book can bring to the parent-child relationship if it is interpreted as helping children to become "smarty pants" in the sense of acquiring esoteric skills to excel in the ivory-tower (albeit children-oriented) discipline of academic philosophy. This is not the focus of this book. This is not an invitation to learn about the history of philosophy-about what some wise, usually white, usually men said about the fundamental questions that intrigue all humans. This is not an invitation to memorize and thus to sit in awe of what others think (or thought)-as is too often the case in university classrooms. This book, rather, is a guide to how to actually philosophize-how to use questions to energetically and courageously make progress toward finding answers that one, through reflection, comes to believe are the best, given the reasons and evidence available. And to the degree that we and our children are successful, we give ourselves (as Mohr Lone notes this is a reciprocal gift) and our children the gift of continuously learning to become ever wiser.
Praxis & Saber
There are kinds of dialogue that support social justice and others that do the reverse. The kinds... more There are kinds of dialogue that support social justice and others that do the reverse. The kinds of dialogue that support social justice require that anger be bracketed and that hiding in safe spaces be eschewed. All illegitimate ad hominem/ad feminem attacks are ruled out from the get-go. No dialogical contribution can be down-graded on account of the communicator’s gender, race, or religion. As well, this communicative approach unapologetically privileges reason in full view of theories and strategies that might seek to undermine reasoning as just another illegitimate form of power.On the more positive side, it is argued in this paper that social justice dialogue will be enhanced by a kind of “communicative upgrading,” which amplifies “person perception,” foregrounds the impersonal forces within our common social spaces rather than the “baddies” within, and orients the dialogical trajectory toward the future rather than the past. Finally, it is argued in this paper that educators...
Archives of General Psychiatry, 1983
Introduction: Freedom is a magnet. Ask any teen chomping at the bit under adult rules. Ask any en... more Introduction: Freedom is a magnet. Ask any teen chomping at the bit under adult rules. Ask any entrepreneur entangled in endless government regulation. Ask any child in a war zone who longs for freedom from fear. This “will to freedom” is an appetitive stimulus for us all; a stimulus more foundational than the “will to power” (Nietzsche 1895/1992), which is merely instrumentally valuable for the pursuit of freedom. Freedom, however, is not a one-stop shop. One individual’s freedom magnet might be freedom of action, another’s freedom from judgement, another’s freedom to participate, another’s freedom from want, another’s freedom from oppression, and another’s freedom of sexual expression.
Philosophy has a dirty little secret and it is this: a whole lot of philosophers have swallowed t... more Philosophy has a dirty little secret and it is this: a whole lot of philosophers have swallowed the mechanistic billiard ball deterministic view of human action-presumably because philosophy assumes that science demands it, and/or because modern attempts to articulate in what free will consists seem incoherent (e.g., that free will might somehow be found in the indeterminacy of subatomic particles 2). This below-the-surface-purely-academic commitment to mechanistic determinism is a dirty little secret because an honest public commitment would render virtually all that is taught in philosophy departments incomprehensible. Can "lovers of wisdom" really continue to tolerate such a heavy burden of hypocrisy? For it is maximally hypocritical, is it not, to teach ethics, or existentialism, or political philosophy, or critical thinking, or indeed to teach anything at all if one views the bodies of humans as entities determined by forces that are describable entirely under the aus...
While making P4C much more easily disseminated, short-term weekend and weeklong P4C training prog... more While making P4C much more easily disseminated, short-term weekend and weeklong P4C training programs not only dilute the potential laudatory impact of P4C, they can actually be dangerous. As well, lack of worldwide standards precludes the possibility of engaging in sufficiently high quality research of the sort that would allow the collection of empirical data in support the efficacy of worldwide P4C adoption. For all these reasons, the authors suggest that P4C advocates ought to insist that programs of a minimum of five philosophy courses be accepted as the recognized standard for any teacher to legitimately claim that she is teaching Philosophy for Children.
Marshalling a mind-numbing array of data, Harvard political scientist Robert D. Putnam, in his bo... more Marshalling a mind-numbing array of data, Harvard political scientist Robert D. Putnam, in his book Bowling Alone, shows that on virtually every conceivable measure, civic participation, or what he refers to as "social capital," is plummeting to levels not seen for almost 100 years. And we should care, Putnam argues, because connectivity is directly related to both individual and social wellbeing on a wide variety of measures. On the other hand, social capital of the "bond-ing kind" brings with it the ugly side effect of animosity toward outsiders. Given the increasing heterogeneity of our world, the goal therefore must be to enhance connectivity of the "bridging sort," i.e., connecting across differences. This, in turn, requires that we first clarify what bridging communicative styles looks like. Examining communication as it might transpire (a) in Kant's kingdom of ends, (b) through the perspective of Habermas' "communicative action,"...
Kindheit – Bildung – Erziehung. Philosophische Perspektiven
Introduction: Much has been written about the importance of creating cohesive units in such setti... more Introduction: Much has been written about the importance of creating cohesive units in such settings as the military (Dvir et al.), the work environment (Purvanova et al.), as well as in sports (Callow et al.), on the assumption that an increase in the sense of cohesiveness enhances the unit’s performance. What was particularly intriguing to the authors (one of whom is also a soccer coach) is that Callow et al. argue that “intellectual stimulation” can enhance group cohesiveness in sports teams. By intellectual stimulation they mean the sort of thinking that emerges when individuals, in “constructive conflict,” are able to view situations from different perspectives, and so are prompted to reexamine their assumptions and to rethink how to go forward (396). This sort of intellectual stimulation, therefore, is not the solitary kind that one might experience in, for instance, doing math problems; it is, rather, the sort that emerges when in communication with others.
Philosophies, 2021
The tragedy of the commons is a primary contributing factor in ensuring that humanity makes no se... more The tragedy of the commons is a primary contributing factor in ensuring that humanity makes no serious inroads in averting climate change. As a recent Canadian politician pointed out, we could shut down the Canadian economy tomorrow, and it would make no measurable difference in global greenhouse gas emissions. When coordinated effort is required, it would seem that doing the “right thing” alone is irrational: it will harm oneself with no positive consequences as a result. Such is the tragedy. And that is the challenge that we take up here. Though Garrett Hardin suggests that the solution is a governmental process that rules over all contenders, since a world government seems unlikely before the planet hits the tippy point, we suggest an educational initiative instead: one that holds a mirror up to the behaviour of individuals, rather than to the behaviour of individuals in groups. Such an educational initiative would be focused on priming individuals to keep constant track of what ...
A thriving democracy requires that citizens, despite different value sets and perspectives (Haidt... more A thriving democracy requires that citizens, despite different value sets and perspectives (Haidt), find ways to communicate across difference so that, together, they can chart a path forward that is potentially flourishing for all. In his article “Philosophy, Democracy & Education: Reconstructing Dewey,” Philip Cam quotes Dewey as saying that, both for thinking in general and democracy in particular, “we need to “think together in face-to-face relationships by means of direct give-and-take.” (3).
Open Journal for Studies in Philosophy
Journal of Philosophy in Schools
Given that one of the major goals of the practice of Philosophy for Children (P4C) is the develop... more Given that one of the major goals of the practice of Philosophy for Children (P4C) is the development of critical thinking skills (Sharp 1987/2018, pp. 4 6), an urgent question that emerged for one of the authors, who is of Chinese Heritage and a novice practitioner at a P4C summer camp (thinkingplayground.org), was whether this emphasis on critical thinking might make this practice incompatible with the fabric of Chinese culture. Filial piety (孝), which requires respect for one's parents, elders, and ancestors is considered an important virtue in Asian culture, as is the preservation of harmony. But if one of the goals of P4C is to teach youngsters to courageously pursue reasoned dialogue, does this not setup young Asians for serious conflict when they come face-to-face with positions that are articulated by elders, but which are ones to which they are diametrically opposed; a racist grandmother, for instance, or an uncle who insists that those at the Tiananmen Square uprising were nothing but hooligan's. It is this question that we will explore in this presentation. In the process, we will come to the conclusion that, when positions seem irreconcilable, rather than continuing to pursue rigorous critical interchange that may do little other than escalate insult, the facilitator, rather, ought to move toward creating a deeper understanding of each position juxtaposed against its opposing view (a process that we refer to as 'collaborative caring'), so as to produce side-by-side understanding, knowing that communal bonds have been maintained and, hence, that the opportunity for genuine reasoned collaborative inquiry on other issues and at future times remains open. Does philosophy kill culture?
Journal of Philosophy in Schools
There is a long standing controversy in education as to whether education ought to be teacher- or... more There is a long standing controversy in education as to whether education ought to be teacher- or student- centered. Interestingly, this controversy parallels the parent- vs. child-centered theoretical swings with regard to good parenting. One obvious difference between the two poles is the mode of communication. “Authoritarian” teaching and parenting strategies focus on the need of those who have much to learn to “do as they are told,” i.e. the authority talks, the child listens. “Non-authoritarian” strategies are anchored in the assumption that youngsters ought to be encouraged to develop their natural interests and talents and hence that it is important to allow the children to do the talking and that adults listen. Both strategies seemed flawed due to the absence of the inherent wisdom of its opposing view.This chasm can be overcome. The Community of Inquiry, a pedagogical method used in Philosophy for Children, demands a method of communication which is able to bridge this gap....
International Journal of Applied Philosophy
Let us suppose that we accept that humans can be correctly characterized as agents (and hence hel... more Let us suppose that we accept that humans can be correctly characterized as agents (and hence held responsible for their actions). Let us further presume that this capacity contrasts with most non-human animals. Thus, since agency is what uniquely constitutes what it is to be human, it must be of supreme importance. If these claims have any merit, it would seem to follow that, if agency can be nurtured through education, then it is an overarching moral imperative that educational initiatives be undertaken to do that. In this paper, it will be argued that agency can indeed be enhanced, and that the worldwide educational initiative called Philosophy for Children (P 4C), and others like it, are in a unique position to do just that, and, therefore, that P4C deserves our praise and support; while denigrations of such efforts for not being “real philosophy” ought to be thoroughly renounced.
Mind, Culture, and Activity
The Politics of Empathy, 2011
Ethics cannot be taught by information transfer. T here is much that we teach our children-that, ... more Ethics cannot be taught by information transfer. T here is much that we teach our children-that, for example, Napoleon was defeated at the battle of Wa-terloo, pasta is the national dish of Italy whose geography closely resembles a boot, 3 x 3 = 9, and salt is made of Sodium and Chloride. Though some of our students do not fare as well as we would like in our educational systems, nonetheless there is much of which we can be proud. The literacy rate in North America is 99% (as it is in most of Western Europe), which contrasts markedly with, for instance, Ethiopia where the literacy rate is approximately 35%, while Chad's is near the bottom at approximately 25%. 1 There is a lot, then, that we do well in teaching our children. Given that this is the case, why do we fall so short in the ethical domain? Why is it that we don't just teach our children to be kind to one another so that it actually happens? Why don't we instruct our children to refrain from verbal and physical ...
T hough Jana Mohr Lone (2012) refers to children's striving to wonder, to question, to figure out... more T hough Jana Mohr Lone (2012) refers to children's striving to wonder, to question, to figure out how the world works and where they fit as the "philosophical self," like its parent discipline, it could be argued that the philosophical self is actually the "parent self,"-the wellspring of all the other aspects of personhood that we traditionally parse out, e.g., the intellectual, moral, social, and emotional selves (p. 5). If that is the case, then to be blind to "The Philosophical Child," the latter being the title of Jana Mohr Lone's book, is, in a sense then, to be blind to the child. Thus, though Mohr Lone says that the subject of her book is to assist parents in supporting the development of children's philosophical selves (p. 7), that claim may mask the gift that this lovely book can bring to the parent-child relationship if it is interpreted as helping children to become "smarty pants" in the sense of acquiring esoteric skills to excel in the ivory-tower (albeit children-oriented) discipline of academic philosophy. This is not the focus of this book. This is not an invitation to learn about the history of philosophy-about what some wise, usually white, usually men said about the fundamental questions that intrigue all humans. This is not an invitation to memorize and thus to sit in awe of what others think (or thought)-as is too often the case in university classrooms. This book, rather, is a guide to how to actually philosophize-how to use questions to energetically and courageously make progress toward finding answers that one, through reflection, comes to believe are the best, given the reasons and evidence available. And to the degree that we and our children are successful, we give ourselves (as Mohr Lone notes this is a reciprocal gift) and our children the gift of continuously learning to become ever wiser.
Praxis & Saber
There are kinds of dialogue that support social justice and others that do the reverse. The kinds... more There are kinds of dialogue that support social justice and others that do the reverse. The kinds of dialogue that support social justice require that anger be bracketed and that hiding in safe spaces be eschewed. All illegitimate ad hominem/ad feminem attacks are ruled out from the get-go. No dialogical contribution can be down-graded on account of the communicator’s gender, race, or religion. As well, this communicative approach unapologetically privileges reason in full view of theories and strategies that might seek to undermine reasoning as just another illegitimate form of power.On the more positive side, it is argued in this paper that social justice dialogue will be enhanced by a kind of “communicative upgrading,” which amplifies “person perception,” foregrounds the impersonal forces within our common social spaces rather than the “baddies” within, and orients the dialogical trajectory toward the future rather than the past. Finally, it is argued in this paper that educators...
Archives of General Psychiatry, 1983