Why philosophy is not given in public high school?

Answer 1

It mostly comes from the Cold War era. During that time, the public school system was made into a scientist-producing machine. The hard sciences (math, biology, chemistry) were held above the less-likely-to-win-us-a-war subjects like english, history and (you guessed it) philosophy.

Today, we're seeing the same thing as before. With all the importance placed on testing and standards, there's no room left for free-floating thought. Offering courses and subjects that don't provide high scores on the government-issued tests is oft seen as a waste of money and resources. How do you "test" that someone is thinking, philosophizing on a different level than before? One cannot quantify the world of change some philosophy (well balanced East and West, of course; no need to be Eurocentric) can provide the mind of a young person.

The bottom line, however, is this: there's no money in it. Philosophy neither produces salable goods or provides a service to be rendered. It's the greatest nightmare of the capitalist. That is, an activity which thoroughly improves the person, but has no tangible return.

Some schools do still provide philosophy classes. However, these schools tend to be very well funded and, as we all know, most of the schools in the United States are poorly funded, to say the least.

Also, when philosophy gets introduced into the public school system the risk arises of religion rearing its ugly head. If the schools can keep the philosophy purely secular, it's usually okay. A good educator can do this with no problem. Some parents, however, fail to see a distinction between non-religious philosophical activites and anti-religious secular (some would even say atheistic) instruction.

Hope this helps.

*xors

Answer 2

underneath that badly formulated question is a good question. as some have previously noted, IT IS offered in some public high schools. i hope by the time a student is a junior in high-school they have come to see how the public-structure has prioritized what the average student should know. have you guessed that you are not trained to make your life with yourself as full as possible? that maybe the public's first priority is to make you a tax-paying citizen? thus the things that seemingly have little use to the world of commerce will be hard to find in the average curriculum of a public school. and i'm so sorry for that.

maybe, just maybe, "philosophy is not given" because "they" don't want you to be smarter than "them". (because then you'll be able to see through "them", e.g. advertisers, politicians, pharmaceuticals)

read, read, read, read, read, read, read

Answer 3

It is but in a 'Watered down' version. True philosophy courses
start in the college years but you are introduced to it slowly through cultural philosophy like that of the Far East, Western etc..... Hard core philosphy deals in far more in-depth areas and authors such as Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Nietzsche and Kant are better dealt at the detailed college level.
Also, many philosophical topics touch on religion and that would be somewhat taboo at the 'public' HS level.

Answer 4

Because it is a waste of time... just kidding! Most curricula include philosophical readings in their literature, economics, intro psychology, and history classes, and use them as tools to teach those other subjects at the same time. Unfortunately, teaching a course on philosophy would often conflict with the availability of instructors for other, more fundamental coursework, and most school districts can't afford to hire extra teachers to fill the gap.

Answer 5

Because the phrase "I think, therefore I am" is usually at the heart of many a philosophy course, and most high school students would have trouble relating to the first part of that quote.

Answer 6

It is in some but with massive inabilities to read, write and do math . . . some schools are more focused on getting kids the basics because welfare ain't what it used to be , they need jobs .
The big challenge for the schools is also the limited budgets so advanced classes are rare in public schools.

Answer 7

It was given at my high school (3 classes)

Humanist Philosophy
Western Philosophy
Advanced Philosophy

I TOOK ALL THREE AND ALL WERE DIFFICULT BUT I STILL GOT AN A IN ALL OF THEM

Answer 8

I do not believe social studies is in high school curriculum anymore also. There basically is not enough time in the class/year to advance to such studies. There are private schools - prep schools- that do offer both.

Answer 9

actually it is in some. I took it in high school. It just depends on the school.