Paul Castles

Mary Lee is a junior at Skyline High School in Sammamish, WA. My name is Mary Lee, and I’m a junior at Skyline High School in Sammanish, WA. In March 2025, I was on a team that competed in the Washington State Ethics Open, a variation of the state Ethics Bowl, hosted by PLATO. Sophia … New to Ethics Bowl

Dr. Peter Levine is professor of philosophy and political science, and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Lincoln Filene Professor of Citizenship & Public Affairs at Tufts University’s Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life.    Peter will join us at the PLATO conference as a member of the Saturday morning (June 28th) plenary panel.  … Advocacy and Civic Renewal

Scott MacLeod, a retired public high school teacher and Ethics Bowl coach, currently serves on the board of PLATO.  Decades after taking his first philosophy course, he still wonders about the nature of reality and whether Rod Serling was right after all. When I was a teenager, I fell in love with the Twilight Zone, … Uncertainty, Open Minds, and the Twilight Zone

Roberta Israeloff, PLATO’s co-founder and Board secretary, directs the Squire Family Foundation.  Her most recent book, What Went Right:  Lessons from Both Sides of the Teacher’s Desk was co-wriitten with George McDermott, her 10th grade English teacher.      Like a River We like to walk, my granddaughter and I.  We walk down the block, … Like a River

Meet Winston C. Thompson: William H. and Laceryjette V. Casto Professorship in Interprofessional Education; Associate Professor, Educational Studies; Associate Professor, Philosophy (by courtesy); Co-director, Center for Ethics and Human Values, Ohio State University. The Saturday plenary session at the upcoming PLATO Conference will open with a panel discussion: “Embracing Difficult Conversations: The Intersection of Ethics … Delicate Dancing:  Creating a Shared Language 

Debi Talukdar is PLATO’s Program Director and an adjunct lecturer for online courses at the University of Washington School of Educational Studies.  A few months ago, PLATO hosted its first online Philosophy Across the Ages event.  It invited high school students and adults to engage in a discussion on the relationship, if any, of an … Philosophy Across the Ages:  Should Artists’ Ethics Affect Our Artistic Judgements?

Meet Sarah M. Stitzlein: Professor of Education and Affiliate Faculty in Philosophy at the University of Cincinnati Roberta Israeloff is PLATO’s co-founder and Board Secretary, and Executive Director of the Squire Family Foundation. The Saturday session at the upcoming PLATO Conference will open with a panel discussion: “Embracing Difficult Conversations: The Intersection of Ethics and … Talking Across Differences at the Dinner Table

Marina Pérez del Valle is a philosophy PhD student at UMass Amherst and a PLATO fellow for the academic year 2024-25. When not doing philosophy, she can be found climbing, biking, or hanging out outdoors. Teaching Philosophy at Dean Tech: Asking Big Questions in a Vocational Setting When I approach schools to see if they … Asking Big Questions at Dean Tech

Jack Flesher (he/they) is a PhD Candidate in Ethnomusicology at the University of Washington. In his free time, he enjoys making music, spending time with friends in nature, and things that get his hands dirty like cooking and ceramics.  When asked to describe my experience as a Philosopher-in-Residence at Thurgood Marshall Elementary School (and trust … “IS IT OK TO PEE IN THE OCEAN?” – A Philosopher in Residence Explains