Wondering Aloud

Thinking Clearly Through Art

Karen S. Emmerman is PLATO’s Education Director. Some readers of Wondering Aloud will know that I have a long-standing interest in building philosophical skills in ways that are joyful and themselves philosophical. To be together in a community of philosophical inquiry requires that we all articulate our ideas as clearly as possible and also ask Thinking Clearly Through Art

Why I Wonder

My name is Naphat Prateepveruriya (my nickname is In). I’m a 4th grade student at International Community School (ICS) in Bangkok. I really love my school because it is a place where we care about “who we are” as much as “what we learn.” My teachers always encourage us to be curious, and since my Why I Wonder

“The Bowl” – A New Documentary Showcases High School Ethics Bowl

Peter Fristedt is a member of PLATO’s Academic Advisory Board. He holds a PhD in philosophy from Stony Brook University and has published scholarship on ethics, Continental philosophy, and the philosophy of history.  I recently had the opportunity to attend a screening of the new documentary film “The Bowl,” from Ethereal Films and filmmaker Eli “The Bowl” – A New Documentary Showcases High School Ethics Bowl

The Library Lion

Karen S. Emmerman is PLATO’s Education Director. When my son was in elementary school, there was an alarming incident in one of the classrooms. A teacher had a cerebral event that led to her acting very strangely. The young students knew something was wrong, but when two asked to get help outside the room the The Library Lion

Through Mental Prisms: What Online Learning Taught Me About Ethics and Justice

Aanya Padhi is a sophomore at Monta Vista High School in Cupertino, California. She is interested in applied ethics and political philosophy and is active in advocacy work to overturn wrongful convictions and address prosecutorial misconduct.    A few months ago, I started becoming more interested in political philosophy because I realized it connected two Through Mental Prisms: What Online Learning Taught Me About Ethics and Justice

We Are in a Book!

Jana Mohr Lone is PLATO’s Executive Director. “The age of five is the most philosophical age you can be.”– Mo Willems  Mo Willems’ We Are in a Book! raises in a playful way some of the deepest questions of epistemology and metaphysics, including questions about reality, identity, knowledge, the relationship between the mind and the We Are in a Book!

Monster at School

Karen S. Emmerman is PLATO’s Education Director. Thinking philosophically requires, among other things, developing a set of philosophical skills. Doing philosophy in elementary schools (students between 5 and 11 years old) for over a decade has drawn my attention to just how important it is to help young people build these skills. For the youngest Monster at School

Philosophy in the Music Classroom: The Interplay of Notes and Ideas

Justin Lader is Assistant Professor and Director of Music Education at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. Aside from advocating for philosophy in music education, he researches how musicians form motor memories. Seven years ago, I began experimenting with philosophy for young people in the music classroom. Over these years, I have worked to incorporate Philosophy in the Music Classroom: The Interplay of Notes and Ideas