Although Spinoza's formative influence on the cultural ideals of the West is widely recognized, especially with reference to liberal democracy, secular humanism, and naturalistic ethics, little has been written about the educational implications of his philosophy. This article explores the pedagogical tenets that are implicit in Spinoza's writings. I argue (1) that Spinoza's ethics is eudaimonistic, aiming at self‐affirmation, full humanity and wellbeing; (2) that the flourishing of individuals depends on their personal resources, namely, their conatus, power, vitality or capacity (...) to act from their own inner natures; and (3) that the combination of the Spinozian conceptions of humanism, liberal democracy, eudaimonistic ethics, and the enlightened and sovereign individual constitute together the grounds for a comprehensive empowering and liberating pedagogy. (shrink)

We mathematical animals should be grateful that mathematics is instrumentally useful. We should not, however, forget its other contributions to human happiness. Bertrand Russell and John Dewey offer timely reminders that provide insight into the role of non-mathematicians in the evaluation of mathematics.

For centuries, philosophers and scholars have debated the role of the state in forming and distributing well-being, a concept now termed the ‘welfare state’. An ideal welfare state is one that protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based on the principles of equal opportunity and equitable distribution of wealth. In order to create such a welfare state, there must be a balance between a society’s demands and the market’s needs. In this paper, I argue for (...) the need for equal and just welfare state reform based on the current needs and demands of both society and the labour market in Kuwait. Moreover, I discuss unemployment as a result of disequilibrium between society and market needs. Finally, I propose education reform as a solution to the unemployment problem. (shrink)

Deeply rethinking the teaching of philosophy: problems and appropriationResumen: ¿Para qué sirve la filosofía? es la pregunta que se hace desde fuera de la comunidad filosófica y cuya respuesta puede abrir puertas o poner serios obstáculos a su consolidación como asignatura. El permanente cuestionamiento externo por la “falta de utilidad” y la constante labor apologética que genera, parecen ser un indicio de que la filosofía requiere innovación en algunos aspectos de su enseñanza. A fin de contribuir con este esfuerzo es (...) imprescindible identificar los problemas, y se determina que la falta de interacción con la ciencia puede ser uno de ellos. Se presentan dos ideas que se enlazan metodológicamente con este cambio de enfoque: una es poner el énfasis en los problemas filosóficos y no en autores; y la otra es facilitar que los estudiantes se apropien intelectualmente de la filosofía como elemento constitutivo de su pensamiento. Ambas ideas se implementarían sobre el trasfondo de establecer una relación estrecha con la ciencia, así como realizar cambios en la didáctica.: How is philosophy useful? is the question posed from outside the philosophical community and whose answer can either open doors or become a serious obstacle to its consolidation as a subject. The constant external questioning regarding its “lack of usefulness”, and the apologetic task it generates, seem to be an indication that philosophy requires innovation in some aspects of its teaching. In order to contribute to this effort it is essential to identify the problems, and it is determined that the lack of interaction with science may be one of them. Two ideas which are methodologically linked to this change of approach are presented: one is to underscore the philosophical problems and not the authors; and the other one is to enable the students to appropriate philosophy intellectually as a constitutive element of their thinking. Both ideas would be implemented on the basis of establishing a close relation with science, as well as making some changes in didactics. Palabras clave: educación, innovación, filosofía, ciencia, problema, apropiación. Keywords: education, innovation, philosophy, science, problem, appropriation. (shrink)