PLATO is offering online philosophy classes for high school students each quarter in the 2025-26 school year.

Class Topics: 
Fall 2025: Introduction to Philosophy and Ethics in Everyday Life
Winter 2026: Life, Mind, and Meaning Across Philosophies
Spring 2026: Philosophy Through Stories, Worlds, and Games

Each class will meet weekly for six weeks on Zoom. We welcome students from around the world.

At the end of the class, students who have completed the class will be provided with Certificates of Achievement.

Instructor: Dr. Jordan Sherry-Wagner will be teaching all of the 2025-26 online high school classes. Jordan is a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Washington who became involved in K-12 philosophy education as a Graduate Student Fellow with the Center for Philosophy for Children (now PLATO) from 2017-2019, during which he earned a Certificate of Mastery. Jordan has led philosophy sessions in a wide range of educational contexts.

Free Midwinter Sessions

A special free series of philosophy classes is being offered by PLATO Graduate/Undergraduate Consortium member Grey Peters, an undergraduate at the University of Virginia.

You can find more information about these sessions and how to register on this webpage.

Fall 2025: Introduction to Philosophy and Ethics in Everyday Life
Wednesdays – October 8, 15, 22, 29, and November 5 and 12
All classes 4:30-5:45 pm Pacific Time

Philosophy starts with questions about how we live and what matters. In this class, we’ll explore core ideas in ethics while asking big questions like: What makes something right or wrong? Who decides? How should we live together in a complex and unequal world? We’ll connect these ideas to real-world issues—such as climate change, technology, inequality, and justice—and reflect on how moral decisions shape our daily lives. Through discussion and collaborative inquiry, we’ll focus on thinking clearly, asking better questions, and making sense of ethical challenges we face now and in the future.

Winter 2026: Life, Mind, and Meaning Across Philosophies
Wednesdays – January 28 and February 4, 11, 25 and March 4 and 11 (no class February 18)
All classes 4:30-5:45pm Pacific Time

What does it mean to be alive, to think, or to be conscious? In this class, we’ll explore how different philosophical traditions—from African and Indigenous worldviews to Indian, Islamic, and East Asian thought—grapple with questions about life, intelligence, and what it means to be human. We’ll also look at how new developments in science and artificial intelligence challenge and expand these ideas. Can machines think or feel? Is consciousness only biological? What responsibilities do we have to other forms of life, human or not? Through global perspectives and present-day dilemmas, we’ll explore how different ways of knowing help shape our understanding of mind, meaning, and the living world.

Spring 2026: Philosophy Through Stories, Worlds, and Games
Wednesdays – April 15, 22, 29 and May 6, 13, and 20
All classes 4:30-5:45pm Pacific Time

What can imagined worlds teach us about the real one? In this class, we’ll explore big philosophical questions—about identity, morality, technology, and reality—through stories in film, fiction, sci-fi, and games. Whether it’s The Matrix, Black Mirror, Dungeons & Dragons, or The Last of Us, we’ll ask how stories shape our thinking about free will, justice, consciousness, and what it means to be human. We’ll also look at how games and narratives create ethical systems, simulate societies, and make space for deep reflection on choice and consequence. Along the way, we’ll explore whether life itself might be a kind of game—and what that means for how we play it.

These classes will be interactive and collaborative, requiring attention and participation of all students. Students should have their cameras on during class, as visual presence both enhances a sense of community and increases accessibility for all participants.

Barring unforeseen circumstances and illness, we expect students to attend all six sessions in the series. Consistent attendance is important for building community and deepening our discussions over the weeks we meet.

Philosophical conversations involve topics about which reasonable people can disagree. All participants are expected to arrive prepared to listen carefully, thoughtfully engage with others’ ideas, and bravely share their own thoughts.

Session facilitators will ensure we maintain a respectful and intellectually safe community of inquiry. Students will experience the joys of thinking together about the ethical and other philosophical questions on our minds.

The cost for a six-week class is $100 for non-members, or $75 for PLATO members (become a member here).

Please use the form to the right (or below on mobile) to register for the fall, winter, and/or spring classes.

Please register and make payment by the following deadlines:

Fall Class: Registration is now closed
Winter Class: Registration is now closed
Spring Class: Registration closes April 10, 2026

PLEASE NOTE: Registration is not complete until payment is made. No refunds will be given after the registration deadline.

PLATO offers generous financial assistance for students. If you require a full or partial scholarship, please send an email to info@plato-philosophy.org before you register and indicate your reason(s) for the request and the extent of financial assistance you need.

Questions? Email info@plato-philosophy.org.